Former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Hannah Serwaa Tetteh, has been named the United Nations Special Representative for Libya and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL).
The announcement was made by the United Nations in Ghana via its Facebook page on Saturday, January 25.
Ms. Tetteh succeeds Abdoulaye Bathily of Senegal, who served as Special Envoy and Head of UNSMIL until May 2024. The UN Secretary-General expressed gratitude for Bathily’s leadership and acknowledged Stephanie Koury, who led the Mission as Officer-in-Charge during the interim period.
Hannah Tetteh brings decades of experience to the role, having previously served as the UN Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa (2022–2024), Special Representative to the African Union and Head of the United Nations Office to the African Union (2018–2020), and Director-General of the United Nations Office at Nairobi.
Before joining the United Nations, Ms. Tetteh was a senior member of the cabinet of the Government of Ghana as Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2013 to 2017, and a member of the National Security Council and the Armed Forces Council.
She also served as Minister for Trade and Industry from 2009 to 2013 and as Foreign Minister from 2014 to 2015. During this time, she was the Chairperson of the Council of Ministers and the Mediation and Security Council of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
During her term as Minister for Trade and Industry, she was also a member of the Government’s economic management team, a member of the board of the Millennium Development Authority, a member of the National Development Planning Commission and the Chairperson of the Ghana Free Zones Board.
Ms. Tetteh served as a Member of Parliament in the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for the Awutu Senya Constituency from 2000 to 2005. She returned to Parliament as the NDC Member of Parliament for the Awutu Senya West Constituency from 2013 to 2017. She was subsequently appointed as co-facilitator in the High-Level Forum for the Revitalisation of the Agreement to resolve the conflict in South Sudan.
Ms. Tetteh holds a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree from the University of Ghana, Legon and after her post-graduate legal studies at the Ghana School of Law was called to the Bar in 1992. She is fluent in English, Hungarian and Fante.
