The Manhyia Palace has formally informed former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of the passing of the Asantehemaa Nana Konadu Yiadom III.
On Wednesday, 13th August, 2025, Mr Akufo-Addo received a distinguished delegation of eminent chiefs and elders from the revered Manhyia Palace, sent by Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Asantehene.
In a Facebook post after the visit, Mr Akufo-Addo wrote that “The late Asantehemaa was an adorable queen of grace and wisdom, who was fully committed to the values and traditions of the great Asante kingdom. She had a successful eight-year reign and we had a good and fruitful friendship. Anytime I was in Kumasi, I did not hesitate to seize the opportunity to visit her to convey my regards.
“I grieve with Otumfuo the Asantehene and Asanteman on such a sad loss, and pray that her venerable soul receives peaceful rest in the Bosom of the Almighty, until the Last Day of the Resurrection, when we shall all meet again.”
The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, announced the demise of the Asantehemaa on Monday, August 11, during an Asanteman Council meeting at the Manhyia Palace.
The Queen Mother, who died on Thursday, August 7, spent eight years on the stool. Asantehemaa was named Nana Ama Konadu at birth and was also known by all 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 in Merdan, a small town located at Kwadaso, Kumasi, during the days of the restoration of the Asante Confederacy.
She was the daughter of Nana Afia Kobi Serwaa Ampem II, Asantehemaa 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, just over a year old and still being breastfed, Nana Konadu Yiadom III was separated from her biological mother and given to her aunt (her mother’s sister), Nana Afia Konadu, at Ashanti New Town (Ash-Town), a suburb of Kumasi.
Nanahemaa never had any formal education but underwent a rigorous and high-quality informal education, learning many things not taught in classrooms.
She was initiated and underwent puberty rites together with her niece, Nana Abena Ansa, in their early teens. She later married Opanin Kwame Boateng, a blacksmith from Aduman in Kumasi.
She was religious, kind-hearted, calm, fair, 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 be Queen of Asante — a prophecy that came to pass.
Nanahemaa achieved much and received recognition for her contributions. Through her constant generosity in doing God’s work, the Saviour Church named a school after her — the Nana Konadu Saviour School. She exhibited a high level of equity, justice, and fairness, ensuring all cases brought before her were settled amicably to the satisfaction of both parties.
In celebrating her 5th anniversary as Asantehemaa, she made a significant donation to mothers at the Mother-Baby Unit (MBU), Pediatric Emergency Care Unit (PICU), and Pediatric Emergency Unit (PEU). She paid all medical bills and expenses for new mothers at the MBU at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital and Manhyia Government District Hospital.
Nanahemaa also initiated a vigorous campaign and instituted an annual event to encourage mothers to breastfeed their young ones. This was the main reason behind her generous donation to the Mother-Baby Unit at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital and Manhyia Government District Hospital.
Source:3news.com
