Secretary General of the Commonwealth, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, has praised former Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia for his longstanding support and encouragement in her new role.

In a post shared on her X page on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, she wrote, "Honoured to welcome former Vice President of Ghana, Bawumia, to Marlborough House today. Thank you for your support over the years and for your kind encouragement in my role as Commonwealth Secretary-General."

The former Minister of Foreign Affairs has already begun her tenure as the seventh Secretary-General of the 56-nation Commonwealth, becoming the first Ghanaian to hold this prestigious position.

She succeeded Baroness Patricia Scotland after being elected by consensus at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Apia, Samoa, in 2024.

In her maiden address delivered at the Commonwealth Secretariat's headquarters in London, she pointed out the critical role the Commonwealth must play in tackling global economic and political challenges.

"The world we live in today is unlike any we have seen before," she said, pointing to the effects of economic downturns, rising defence spending, and weakened multilateralism on employment, poverty, and social protection systems", she stated.

Read her post below:

Honoured to welcome former Vice President of #Ghana, @MBawumia, to Marlborough House today.

Thank you for your support over the years and for your kind encouragement in my role as #Commonwealth Secretary-General. pic.twitter.com/FiKj7yAAig

— Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey (@SGCommonwealth) May 21, 2025