Candidate for the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Joshua Phoho Setipa is pledging to improve on the foundations laid by his predecessors in a bid to deliver what he terms as “tangible” results for member states of the Commonwealth.

At the next Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM 2024) in Samoa slated for 21 - 27 October 2024, Joshua Setipa is aiming at receiving the support of Leaders from 56 sovereign states to secure the seat as the successor to Patricia Scotland, whose tenure recedes this year.

Sharing his overarching plan and vision for the Commonwealth at Chatham House in London, the former Minister of Trade and Industry, Kingdom of Lesotho remarked that  the “culture of quiet diplomacy of the commonwealth has continued to contribute towards global peace and security.”

“In my view, the history of this organization informs the shared vision fundamentally anchored in the core values and principles of the Commonwealth Charter, which protect and advance the aspirations of a fisherman in Samoa, a teacher in Pakistan, a seamstress in Lesotho, and of course, the creative artist in Malta who, for whom we must deliver tangible results that reflect our continued commitment to the commonwealth”

With a political and diplomatic career spanning over 25 years, Joshua Setipa belives that he has gained extensive political and administrative experience at the national, regional, and multilateral levels in terms of formulating and implementing economic development policy, which make him most suitable for the top at the Commonwealth Secretariat.

The election of Secretary-General follows the principle of rotation among the five Commonwealth regions. In line with this tradition, the next Secretary-General will be chosen from Africa. This will be the second time an African assumes the position since Chief Emeka Anyaoku of Nigeria in West Africa, who served as Commonwealth Secretary-General from 1990 to 2000.

This expectation presents an opportunity African Member states, who have in recent time through the African Union, called for reparative Justice given the dark history of transatlantic slavery and colonialism for which the Commonwealth is often criticised.

Commenting on what African Member-states should expect from the Commonwealth, Joshua Setipa pointed out that “I support the idea of reparative justice and I would not wait to be asked to participate. More than half of the members around the table are calling for this to be addressed, but the Commonwealth has a long history of facilitating discussions around difficult issues.”

“We have dealt with racism, which was even more divisive than this. So it should be easy for the Commonwealth to facilitate a discussion around the table between those that are for and those that are resisting or that are pushing back or that have a different angle. But the Commonwealth has a role because it is an issue that affects more than half of the members of the Commonwealth”.

Also recognising the paramount importance of economic growth, Joshua Setipa remains hopeful that once given the nod, He will prioritise trade and investment by fostering a vibrant and competitive environment that leverages the unique strengths of our member states.

Furthermore, we must invest heavily in human capital across our Commonwealth.