Madam Hannah Serwaa Tetteh has been named the United Nations (UN) Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) by António Guterres, Secretary-General of the UN.

Her appointment follows the tenure of Abdoulaye Bathily of Senegal, who served as Special Envoy and Head of UNSMIL until May 2024. The Secretary-General also extended his appreciation to Mr. Bathily for his contributions and to Stephanie Koury, Deputy Special Representative, who served as Officer-in-Charge in the interim.

A statement issued by the Secretary-General and shared with the Ghana News Agency highlighted Madam Tetteh’s extensive experience in diplomacy and governance. Her career spans decades at the national, regional, and international levels, including her most recent role as the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy to the Horn of Africa from 2022 to 2024.

Prior to that, she served as the Special Representative to the African Union and Head of the United Nations Office to the AU (UNOAU) between 2018 and 2020. Madam Tetteh also held the position of Director-General of the United Nations Office at Nairobi.

Before joining the United Nations, Madam Tetteh held various leadership roles in Ghana’s government. She was the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2013 to 2017, where she also served on the National Security Council and the Armed Forces Council. From 2009 to 2013, she served as Minister for Trade and Industry and was a member of the Government’s economic management team.

During her tenure as Foreign Minister, she chaired the Council of Ministers and the Mediation and Security Council of ECOWAS from 2014 to 2015. In her role as Minister for Trade and Industry, she led the Ghana Free Zones Board and contributed to national development initiatives as a member of the National Development Planning Commission and the Millennium Development Authority board.

Madam Tetteh’s parliamentary career includes representing the Awutu Senya Constituency under the National Democratic Congress (NDC) from 2000 to 2005 and again from 2013 to 2017. She also played a key role in peacebuilding efforts, serving as Co-Facilitator for the High-Level Forum on the Revitalisation of the Agreement to resolve the conflict in South Sudan.

A legal professional, Madam Tetteh earned her Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree from the University of Ghana and was called to the Ghana Bar in 1992 after completing her postgraduate studies at the Ghana School of Law. Fluent in English, Hungarian, and Fante, her linguistic skills add to her versatility in international diplomacy.