ASANTEHEMAA JOURNEYS TO ANCESTORS AS PREZ MAHAMA & OTHERS MOURN WITH OTUMFUO
President John Dramani Mahama and scores of high profile people joined Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II and Asante Kingdom to bid Asantehemaa, Nana Konadu Yiadom III farewell to her ancestors on Thursday September 18, 2025.
The fourth day of the befitting burial ceremony named in Asante parlance as Dote Yie, held at the Dwabirem in Manhyia Palace, drew together government officials, former presidents, diplomats, traditional rulers, and ordinary citizens, to mourn the revered queen.
She was expected to be laid to rest at the Royal Mausoleum in Breman later Thursday night.
President John Mahama was accompanied by Chief of Staff Julius Debrah, Ministers of State, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs), and other high-ranking officials in his government.
The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II was seated in state as the chief mourner grieving the loss of his elder sister and mother by custom.
Former Presidents John Agyekum Kufuor and Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo were both in attendance, togrther with former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and his wife, Samira.
Prominent among dignitaries at funeral rites were former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, leader and founder of Movement for Change, Mr Alan John Kwadwo Kyermaten, former chairman of NPP, Mr Paul Afoko, former Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Mr Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, senior clergymen, and business moguls.
Several representatives from political parties, including the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) were also present at the funeral.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu II and the Kingdom also hosted representatives of diplomatic missions from the Netherlands, Italy United Kingdom, Eswatini, Togo, and among many other countries who who paid their respects to the revered queen.
It is worthnoting that, almost every sector of the country’s leadership was represented.
The Inspector General of Police, Christian Tetteh Yohuno, led the security services, supported by officers of the Ghana Armed Forces, the Ghana Fire Service, the Ghana Prisons Service, and other agencies.
The ceremony last barely seven hours.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu II who was clad in black cloth, was carried in a palanquin into the funeral grounds12:20pm moved solemnly to the Asantehemaa’s palace, where Nana Ama Konadu Yiadom III had been laid in state before joining the funeral durbar.
Later, Otumfuo, again in a palanquin and wielding a traditional gun, led the cortege, accompanied by the firing of muskets, war songs, and unrestrained wailing from mourners.
The queen’s body was placed in a beatiful wooden casket, which was carried to the funeral grounds in a traditional procession.
The atmosphere was heavy with grief as the casket was finally positioned at the centre of the palace square for the burial service.
The sermon was delivered by Most Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Asante of the Methodist Church of Ghana.
He reminded the gathering of the fleeting nature of life, urging mourners to dedicate themselves to love, service, and unity.
He described the convergence of mourners from diverse tribes and nations as a testament to the enduring relevance of chieftaincy and its role in fostering national peace and cohesion.
“Let the Asantehemaa’s death serve as a call to unity, to build our country together,” he declared, offering prayers for the strength of Otumfuo and the royal family.
President Mahama, in a tribute read on his behalf by Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr. Frank Amoakohene, described the late Asantehemaa as a “mother for all” whose reign embodied peace, unity, and Asante values.
He recalled benefiting personally from her wise counsel and highlighted how warmly she embraced his wife and family.
“Nana Ama Konadu Yiadom III was a role model and a counselor, loved and revered by many. Her passing is a great loss not only to Asanteman but to the entire nation,” he stated.
In Otumfuo’s tribute, which was read by business magnate, Sam Jonah, he said, “I have lost one of my most cherished pillars of strength,” adding that he remembers how his late sister supported in his upbringing when they were young.
He also recounted how Nana Konadu Yiadom III reigned in dignity, humility and respect, adding that her departed sister was a constant comfort and support for widows, orphans and all those who are marginalised or oppressed in society.
“For her, leadership was not to command but to lead in humility and care,” Otumfuo said and added, “Together, we carried the weight of Asanteman. She was a blessing to me and I feel lonely, but I know she has moved to the company of our mother and all other past queens.”
According to Otumfuo, Nana Ama Konadu Yiadom III’s name has been “etched in the history of Asanteman as a peaceful queen and I will never forget her. May her example teach us that true leadership is service with respect and integrity.”
Born in 1927 as the first child of the late Asantehemaa, Nana Afia Kobi Serwaa Ampem II, Nana Ama Konadu Yiadom III was affectionately called “Nana Panin” in her youth.
On February 6, 2017, she became the 14th Asantehemaa after succeeding her mother.
She was devoted to Asante traditions and customs. She also settled lands, chieftaincy and other disputes during her reign contributed to unity and peace in the Kingdom.
She passed away on August 7, 2025, aged 98, at the Manhyia Palace after a short illness.