Ghana’s Foreign Minister, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, has been appointed as the new secretary general of the Commonwealth at the just concluded Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa. Botchwey, a former Ghanaian MP, has also had leadership roles within ECOWAS and the UN Security Council. She is an advocate for reparations for slavery and colonialism. However, she believes reparatory justice isn’t only about financial payments, stating that it can also take the form of debt relief and support for tackling climate change. Despite the UK government’s resistance, calls have risen for the UK to pay reparations for its part in the transatlantic slave trade and colonialism. Botchwey aims to strengthen the Commonwealth’s position on reparations, climate support, and potential free trade agreements.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
