Asantehene ‘Settles’ Kingship And Kingdom Debate

The status of the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, as a traditional ruler in Ghana has been an issue of public debate.

While proponents of Asanteman argue that they have a king who governs the Ashanti Kingdom, others argue that there is no kingdom and, for that matter, there is no king in Ghana.

Those who say there is no king or kingdom in Ghana base their argument on the chieftaincy laws of the country, particularly the Chieftaincy Act, 2008 (Act 759).

Section 58 of the Chieftaincy Act, 2008 (Act 759) mentions the categories of chiefs in Ghana as follows:

(a) the Asantehene and Paramount Chiefs,
(b) Divisional Chiefs,
(c) Sub-divisional Chiefs,
(d) Adikrofo, and
(e) other chiefs recognised by the National House.

They also make reference to the mention of the regional house of chiefs, and national house of chiefs as the authorities responsible for the running of traditional areas and not kingdoms.

Well, the Asantehene appear to have put the matter of whether he is a king or not to bed.

Addressing the climax of the 57th Congregation of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), on Friday, November 24, 2024, the Asantehene clearly stated what the territory under his authority is.

In a well-crafted statement, the Asantehene, who was reading in English, minced no words when he referred to the territory he was supervising over as a kingdom, as he was advising the government as to how to deal with the menace of illegal small-scale mining (galamsey).

Here is what the Asantehene said:

“Not so long ago, we all heard of actions I took against some chiefs in my kingdom who were either covertly or overtly involved in galamsey activities… I urge the government to take reciprocal actions in the fight against galamsey.”

What is a kingdom:

The National Geographic Society adopts the definition of many definitions of many dictionaries that a kingdom is a piece of land or a territory that is ruled by a king or a queen who makes all the decisions.

The king or queen of a kingdom usually inherits their position by birth or marriage to lead their territory. Kingdoms are often broken into smaller territories, such as city-states or provinces, that are governed by officials appointed by the king or queen, who have the responsibility of reporting everything that happens in their same areas to the sovereign (the queen or king)

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