Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, King of the Asante Kingdom has paid glowing tribute to his elder sister, Nana Konadu Yiadom III.
During Asantehemaa’s Dotie Yie at the Manhyia Palace on Thursday, September 18, 2025, Otumfuo in a tribute read by Sir Dr. Sam Jonah expressed grief over the passing of his elder sister who he said was “one of my greatest pillars of strength.”
The Asantehene noted that the death of Nana Konadu Yiadom III has left him lonely.
“The passing of Nana Konadu Yiadom III, my beloved senior sister, the mother of the Golden Stool has left an emptiness in my heart and in the soul of Asanteman.
“It is not easy for me as King to put into words the depth of my grief for the nation has lost a mother and I have lost not only a sister but one of my greatest pillars of strength.
“She was not only the Asantehemaa in title, she was truly the mother of the Kingdom, the one whose calm helped together the delicate threat of our family, our lineage and our tradition,” Otumfuo stated.
He recounted his elder sister’s guidance and counseling in their childhood days even before he assumed the throne as Asantehene.
“Before the weight of the Golden Stool was placed upon me, she had already carried the weight of sisterhood of counsel and of course of love. She was there in the quiet corridors of our childhood, guiding me with a steady hand of an elder, preparing me in a way I did not fully understand until destiny placed on me the golden stool,” he noted.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu II highlighted the support and care the Asantehemaa showed to women and disputed families who sought advice from her.
“Her reign as Asantehemaa was marked by dignity, humility and service. She sat in majesty yet never placed herself above her people. She was the voice of the women in the markets, the comfort of widows, the guardian of orphans and the reconciler of families in dispute.
“She reminded us that leadership is not about command but about care, not about domination but about compassion,” he stressed.
The Asantehene explained further how he relies upon the Asantehemaa in moments of kinship difficulties and challenges and how he finds wisdom and soothing peace in her counsel and advices to him.
“For me personally, she was my confident. In moments when the burdens of kinship press heavily upon me, I could turn to her not as Asantehemaa but as my sister.
“She has the rare ability to speak to me as both mother and friend. Her words were never reckless, never shallow, they were words that came from a deep well of experience and wisdom.
“And when she counseled me, I listen for I knew her loyalty was not divide by ambition. It was a loyalty borne out of blood, love and destiny,” Otumfuo said.
“May her soul rest in eternal peace among the ancestors. May her memory forever remain a guiding life for Asanteman and may her example remind all who lead whether as mothers, or as citizens that leadership is service, true greatness is humility and true legacy is love,” his tribute concluded.
The Queen Mother is being laid to rest in a ceremony steeped in tradition, reverence, and solemnity.
Nana Ama Konadu Yiadom III passed away on Thursday, August 7, 2025 and was laid in state on Monday, September 15, paving way for the public and dignitaries to pay their final respects.
The funeral rites, which began on Sunday, September 14, have drawn thousands of mourners from across the country, including traditional leaders, political figures, and ordinary citizens.
Prominent Ghanaian leaders, including President Mahama, former Presidents John Agyekum Kufuor and Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Vice President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, and former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, joined the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, at the Manhyia Palace to honour the late queen mother.
