The overlord of the Ashanti Kingdom, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has announced a new Asantehemaa (Queen Mother of Asante), months after the death of Nana Konadu Yiadom III, the 14th Asantehemaa.

The appointment of Nana Ama Bonsu as the new Asantehemaa was announced by the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, at the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi on Monday, July 6, during a formal traditional outdooring ceremony.

Nana Ama Bonsu is the 15th Asantehemaa, succeeding Nana Konadu Yiadom III, who served as the 14th Asantehemaa until 2025.

The installation of a new Asantehemaa became necessary following the demise of Nana Konadu Yiadom III, whose passing created a vacancy in one of the most important traditional positions within Asanteman.

The Asantehemaa occupies a highly influential role in the governance and preservation of the Asante Kingdom. Beyond being the Queen Mother, she is the custodian of the royal lineage and plays a central role in the selection and nomination of an Asantehene when the Golden Stool becomes vacant.

Profile of Asantehemaa Nana Ama Konadu Yiadom III

The Asantehemaa was named Nana Ama Konadu at birth and was also known as Nana Panin or Naa Panin. She later became Nana Konadu Yiadom III after her enstoolment as the 14th Asantehemaa on February 6, 2016.

She was born in 1927 at the Benyaade Shrine at Merdan, a small town located in Kwadaso, Kumasi, during the period of the restoration of the Asante Confederacy.

She was born to Nana Afia Kobi Serwaa Ampem II, Asantehemaa, who reigned from 1977 to 2016. Her father was Opanin Kofi Fofie, popularly known as Koofie or Keewuo, a carpenter from Besease near Atimatim in Kumasi.

At a very tender age, when she was just over a year old and still being breastfed, Nana Konadu Yiadom III was separated from her biological mother and given to her aunt, Nana Afia Konadu, who lived at Ashanti New Town (Ash-Town), a suburb of Kumasi.

Nanahemaa never received formal education, but she underwent rigorous and quality informal training, acquiring knowledge and skills that were not taught in the classroom.

She was initiated and underwent puberty rites together with her niece, Nana Abena Ansa, during their early teens. She later married Opanin Kwame Boateng, a blacksmith from Aduman in Kumasi.

She was religious, kind-hearted, calm, fair but firm, hardworking, humble, unassuming, and accommodating. In the mid-1990s, Kwaku Firi Bosomfo, the priest of Kwaku Firi, prophesied through Baffour Akoto, a senior linguist of the Asantehene, that Nanahemaa would one day become the Queen of Asante, and indeed, the prophecy came to pass.

Nanahemaa achieved a great deal and was widely recognised for her contributions. Through her generosity and commitment to charitable causes, the Saviour Church named a school after her, Nana Konadu Saviour School.

She exhibited a high level of equity, justice, and fairness, and cases brought before her were settled amicably to the satisfaction of all parties involved.

In celebrating her 5th anniversary as Asantehemaa, she made significant donations to mothers at the Mother-Baby Unit (MBU), the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), and the Paediatric Emergency Unit (PEU).

She also paid the medical bills and expenses of new mothers receiving care at the Mother-Baby Unit of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital and the Manhyia Government District Hospital.

Nanahemaa also spearheaded a vigorous campaign and instituted an annual event to encourage breastfeeding among mothers. This initiative informed her decision to make generous donations to the Mother-Baby Unit at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital and the Manhyia Government District Hospital.