In a historic and symbolic gesture celebrating women leadership in Ghana, a high-powered all-female government delegation led by the Deputy Chief of Staff (Administration), Hon. Nana Oye Bampoe Addo, has paid a courtesy call on the newly enstooled Asantehemaa, Her Royal Majesty Nana Yaa Akyaa II, at the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi.
The visit, held at the royal palace of palanquins, was on behalf of the President of the Republic, *H.E. John Dramani Mahama*, to officially congratulate the Queen Mother on her enstoolment as the 15th Asantehemaa of Asanteman and to convey the goodwill and best wishes of the Government and people of Ghana.
President Mahama Congratulates New Asantehemaa
Delivering the welcome remarks, Hon. Nana Oye Bampoe Addo, who was Leader of the Government Delegation, expressed profound appreciation to the Asantehemaa for her warm reception.
“Nanahemaa, thank you for receiving us in this royal palace of palanquins. On behalf of the President of the Republic, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, we congratulate you most warmly on your enstoolment as the 15th Asantehemaa of Asanteman,” she stated.
She disclosed that the delegation was specially constituted on behalf of Ghana’s first female Vice President, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, to signify the importance the Mahama administration attaches to traditional authority and women empowerment.
The delegation comprised an influential array of female leaders in government, including Presidential Staffers, Cabinet Ministers, Ministers of State, female Chief Executive Officers, National Executives, Heads of State Institutions, female Members of Parliament, and Ashanti Regional, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives.
You Stand on the Shoulders of Great Queens
Hon. Bampoe Addo paid glowing tribute to the rich and sacred history of the Asantehemaa stool, describing it as more than a traditional seat, but a symbol of unity, bravery and an unbroken spirit that has for over three hundred years, since the founding of Asanteman, been occupied by women of great distinction and wisdom.
She eulogized iconic former occupants of the stool, including the revered Nana Afia Kobi Serwaa Ampem II and the immediate past Asantehemaa, Nana Ama Konadu Yiadom III, who distinguished herself in service to Asanteman and the nation for eight years until her passing in August 2025.
“Before them all stands the iconic Nana Yaa Asantewaa, Queen Mother of Ejisu, whose courage in the War of the Golden Stool in 1900 made her a tower of hope, unity, conscience and bravery, and a role model for female traditional leaders, politicians and activists to this day,” she recounted.
Hon. Bampoe Addo emphasized that the stool Her Majesty now occupies rests on such great shoulders and that while the role is enormous, she has absolute trust that Odomankoma and the ancestors will bless her reign with wisdom, courage and fortitude to discharge the divine assignment for Asanteman.
A Call For Partnership In A Historic Era
The Deputy Chief of Staff described the timing of the enstoolment of Nana Yaa Akyaa II as deeply historic and symbolic. According to her, the Queen Mother begins her reign at a time when Ghana is witnessing its own history with the second coming of President John Dramani Mahama and the tenure of Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang as Ghana’s first female Vice President.
“This is more than coincidence; it is a call from the ancestors for close partnership and unity among the female leadership of our nation. We have every confidence that you will be the unifier you have already shown yourself to be, and we will count on your wisdom to help govern well and meet the expectations of women, children and men alike,” she said.
Recalling the immortal words of Nana Yaa Asantewaa in March 1900 when Governor Hodgson demanded the Golden Stool, Hon. Bampoe Addo quoted: “If you, the men of Asante, will not go forward, then we will. We, the women, will. I shall call upon my fellow women. We will fight! We will fight till the last of us falls in the battlefields.”
She noted that beyond being a unifier, the new Asantehemaa’s reign is an arrowhead of bravery for all women in confronting modern wars – domestic violence, harmful cultural practices, injustice against women, children and the aged, and new forms of abuse that come with modern technology. She stressed that like Yaa Asantewaa, the nation looks up to her leadership, wisdom and counsel to lead that war in unison.
Hon. Bampoe Addo concluded by reaffirming the government’s commitment to working closely with the Manhyia Palace.
“We have come to our mother’s feet to begin this journey together, in shared vision and shared mandate. You may count on us as you begin a successful reign. Long live Nanahemaa. Long live Asanteman. Long live Ghana,” she concluded to thunderous applause from the delegation and traditional authorities present.
