Charlotte Osei and the List of Other Ghanaians Holding Influential International Positions
YEN.com.gh takes a look at some of the Ghanaian women who have assumed top roles in international organisations
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Former Electoral Commission chairperson, Charlotte Kesson-Smith, was recently appointed the Executive Director of the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy (ESID) in an acting capacity.
In 2019, the UN also appointed Kesson-Smith as part of the international advisors to support the work of Afghanistan’s electoral management bodies.
She joined a growing list of Ghanaian women who have assumed top roles in major organisations abroad, across fields such as law, diplomacy and security.
YEN.com.gh outlines some of these women who are chalking historic milestones for African women on the international scene.
Notable Ghanaian women holding top positions abroad
Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey
On October 26, 2024, then-Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey was elected the Commonwealth Secretary-General.
Botchwey's election on October 26 made her the first African woman to hold the prestigious post.
Source: Instagram
Botchwey triumphed over notable contenders, including Senator Joshua Setipa of Lesotho and Dr Mamadou Tangara of The Gambia.
She is eligible to serve a maximum of two four-year terms. As Secretary General of the Commonwealth, she presides over 56 independent and equal sovereign states with a combined population of 2.7 billion.
Hanna Tetteh
Hanna Tetteh serves as the UN Under-Secretary-General, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya and Head of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL).
She was appointed by UN Secretary-General António Guterres on 24 January 2025.
Source: Twitter
She previously held several senior UN posts, including Director-General of the UN Office at Nairobi, Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, and Special Representative to the African Union/Head of UNOAU. Tetteh is also a former Foreign Affairs minister for Ghana.
Anita Kiki Gbeho
Anita Kiki Gbeho serves as the UN Special Representative for South Sudan and Head of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).
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Source: Facebook
She was appointed by Secretary-General António Guterres on 10 April 2026, bringing over 25 years of experience in strategic planning in political, development and humanitarian affairs at UN Headquarters and in conflict and post-conflict settings including Angola, Cambodia, Iraq, Namibia, Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan.
Evelyn Ankumah
Evelyn Ankumah has served as the Special Adviser to the Office of the International Criminal Court Prosecutor since February 2025.
Ankumah is also a current Ghanaian nominee in the 2026 elections for International Criminal Court judge, having spent nearly three decades shaping how Africa engages with international criminal justice, having founded Africa Legal Aid (AFLA) in 1997.
Sylvia Ama Adusu
Sylvia Ama Adusu became the first African woman elected to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) in June 2026.
She will serve on the Hamburg-based tribunal from 2026 to 2035, marking a milestone for Ghana and for Africa’s role in international maritime justice.
Adusu played a pivotal role in Ghana’s successful maritime boundary delimitation case against Côte d’Ivoire before ITLOS and advised on the ARA Libertad (Argentina v Ghana) prompt release case.
Major General Anita Asmah
Major General Anita Asmah serves as the United Nations Disengagement Observer (UNDOF) Force Commander & Head of Mission.
Source: UGC
Asmah is the UN's first African woman Force Commander.
Before her latest appointment, Asamah served as Director General in the Department of Defence Civilian Establishment of the Ghanaian Armed Forces.
She also served as Deputy Force Commander of UNDOF between 2021 and 2023 and as a Staff Officer in the UN Interim Force in Lebanon from 2012 to 2016.
Additionally, Asamah has occupied several other top positions within the Ghana Armed Forces, serving as the Director of Education, Deputy Military Secretary and Course Director at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre.
Source: YEN.com.gh
