The King of Asante with indisputable global clout, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, will arrive in Kumasi after honouring a week-long series of events in the United States of America.
He led yet another historic delegation, departing Kumasi, Ghana, on August 23 for important events of Asanteman and of national interest organised by the Millennium Excellence Foundation.
He honoured the MEA Otumfuo Golf Invitational tournament, delivered a Royal Guest Lecture at Howard University, and attended the Africa Business and Investment Summit.
He also graced the Millennium Excellence Awards Gala and the 6th Akwasidae of 2026, and held a high-level engagement with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, among other relevant events.
For the record, the Asantehene’s singular contribution to shaping the global narrative and discourse on the role of traditional authorities in governance and national development has been unparalleled.
Prior to his recent engagements in the U.S., the 16th Occupant of the Golden Stool addressed the United Nations General Assembly in New York in 2019 on the theme “Partnership for a Culture of Peace: Mobilising Traditional Leadership and Communities for Peace and Security”.
At that historic meeting, he called for a new partnership between elected authorities and traditional governance in the spirit of authentic collaboration.
In July 2024, he also gave a separate keynote address at the British Museum for his Silver Jubilee on the theme “Asante Culture and Heritage” / “Chieftaincy, Tradition, and Development”.
The Asantehene has previously lectured at Harvard University in the USA and Oxford University in the UK on traditional leadership, peacebuilding and African governance, in addition to serving as Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).
Prior to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II was the Special Guest of Honour at the FIFA World Cup Business Summit organised by the Canada-Ghana Chamber of Commerce, where he addressed thousands of members of the Ghanaian diaspora.
As the first Asante King to visit Poland, he graciously served as Special Guest of Honour at the globally reputed TOP CHARITY ChangeMAKERS Gala in Warsaw before the start of the World Cup.
On Thursday, September 3, 2026, Otumfuo’s arrival at the Prempeh I International Airport in Kumasi will be met with a parade by the security services, where he will take the salute before proceeding to greet his subjects.
As part of activities to welcome His Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II back home, the Manhyia Palace, Asanteman Council, Kumasi Traditional Council, the Regional Coordinating Council and the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) have put in place an elaborate programme to welcome our King back into the city.
Schoolchildren will be lined along some principal streets of Kumasi with miniature Asanteman flags for Otumfuo’s procession, which will end at the Manhyia Palace, where customary rites will be performed for his safe arrival home.
BY Thomas Awuah Asem
