Ghana is making waves on the global stage with two of its distinguished women assuming key leadership roles within the Commonwealth.
Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Professor Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, has been elected as the new Chairperson of Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) Council starting January 1, 2026.
Her election makes her the second Ghanaian woman to hold key Commonwealth positions in less than a year.
In October 2025, Ghana’s former Foreign Affairs Minister, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey became the first female to be elected as Secretary-General of the Commonwealth at the 27th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).
About Prof Nana Aba Appia Amfo
In 2021, Nana Aba became the 13th Executive Head and first female Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, where she did her bachelor’s degree in French and Linguistics.
Before her appointment, she served as the Pro-Vice-Chancellor in Charge of Academic and Students Affairs at the University, Dean of the School of Languages, and Head of the Department of Linguistics.
She holds her MPhil and PhD degrees both at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, with additional training from the Harvard Business School, University of Applied Sciences, Germany, and France.
Prof. Amfo’s career in academia started in 2001 as a lecturer in the Department of Linguistics. She was promoted to a Senior Lecturer in 2007, Associate Professor in 2011, and Professor in 2017.
With 24 years of experience in academia and university governance, the ACU believes her “vision and insight will be instrumental in shaping these priorities and ensuring their impact.”
Prof. Amfo’s election achievement follows Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey historic election to the Commonwealth in 2025.
About Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey
The seasoned diplomat faced strong competition from two other African candidates: Mamadou Tangara, the Foreign Affairs Minister of The Gambia, and Joshua Phoho Setipa, former Trade Minister of Lesotho.
With nearly 2 decades of experience in governance and diplomacy, including her role as Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Minister since 2017, Ayorkor Botchwey took the position as the first African woman to hold the Secretary-General position.
Before her role as Ghana’s Foreign Minister, she served as Deputy Foreign Minister from 2006 to 2009 and held Deputy Minister roles in Trade and Industry and Communications. As a four-term legislator from 2004 through 2020, she was active on several parliamentary select committees, including Foreign Affairs, Appointments, Defence and Interior, Communications, and Gender and Children. She was also a member of the ECOWAS Parliament from 2013 to 2017 and served as Vice-Chair on the NEPAD (New Partnership for Africa’s Development) and African Peer Review Mechanism Committees.
During her seven-year tenure as Foreign Minister, she guided Ghana’s historic two-year term on the United Nations Security Council, concluding in December 2023. She also chaired the ECOWAS Council of Ministers from 2020 to 2022.
The achievements of the two women mark historic milestones for Ghana and inspires a new generation of leaders pushing towards inclusive and progressive leadership worldwide.
