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“Dakpema palace enskins US based philanthropist as Zosimli Naa”
The Chief of Tamale, Naa Dakpema Fusheini Bawa has enskinned a US-based entrepreneur and philanthropist, Ms Kennedy S.
Johnson as ‘Zosimli Naa’ at his palace in the Northern Region.
Ms Kennedy S. Johnson, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Green Book Travel was honoured with the traditional title Zosimli Naa, which symbolizes friendship to the people of Dagbon and the Northern Region.
The enskinmemt was done when she called on the Dakpema palace to seek his blessings and endorsement to engage in a number of development projects in his traditional area.
She said Green Book Travel in collaboration with Kith and Kin, both Non-governmental organizations over the years was instrumental in driving tourism, bringing hundreds of guests to Ghana whilst promoting business with other black entrepreneurs and artisans.
“Historically, Ghana has promoted unity, Pan-Africanism and the development of the continent of Africa, being from the diaspora and given the title of Dakpema Queen mother of Zosimli Naa in the Dagbong Kingdom is like a supreme blessings from the ancestors”.
She added that her organization and its partners will continue to prioritize the needs of the people in the area in order to complement the efforts of government and other stakeholders in minimizing the plight of the people and improving on their living conditions.
“I take my title seriously, I vowed to be a catalyst for vital development and advancement, advocate cultural conservation and encourage and lead the journey of the African diaspora back to the continent”.
Naa Dakpema Fusheini Bawa said the title was to enhance development in his traditional area, and to strengthen the bilateral relations between the two countries, especially in the areas of culture and tourism.
“My traditional area is blessed with young men and women with great interest in education, culture and tourism and it is my desire to welcome partners and benevolent organizations to complement government efforts in reducing poverty and unemployment in my area”.
He added that it was necessary for other stakeholders both home and abroad to join the forces in championing development projects and help improve on the living conditions of the people.
The Tamale Chief pledged his support to the Green Book Travel and partners and appealed to other benevolent organizations to continue to support traditional authorities in promoting development in their areas. -GNA
President John Dramani Mahama has commissioned four career diplomats as ambassador-designates to represent Ghana in four countries.
The commissioning ceremony took place on Friday, October 16, 2026.
The new envoys are Her Excellency Nana Antwiwaa Dodoo, Ambassador-Designate to Angola; His Excellency Louis Kwame Obeng, Ambassador-Designate to Qatar; Her Excellency Evelyn Korantemaa Ofosu-Amable, Ambassador-Designate to Israel; and His Excellency Jedidiah Reuben Adogla, Permanent Representative-Designate to Switzerland.
President Mahama charged them to advance Ghana’s national interests through strategic partnerships, economic diplomacy, investment mobilization, and expanded access to international markets.
He said Ghana’s diplomatic engagements must deliver tangible economic benefits, create jobs, and strengthen the country’s standing on the international stage.
The four envoys are career diplomats with over 27 years of experience.
On behalf of her colleagues, Her Excellency Nana Antwiwaa Dodoo thanked the President for the confidence reposed in them and pledged their commitment to emulate his leadership and deliver on the mandate given to them.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
The professor who spends his days exploring the intricacies of African languages found himself at the centre of a different kind of lesson on Friday, October 2, 2026. 
This time, there were no lecture notes, academic arguments or university classrooms. Instead, there was the weight of tradition, the rhythm of a community celebration and the solemnity of an oath at a royal palace.
Professor Ọbádélé Kambon, a full Professor of African Linguistics at the University of Ghana, was enstooled as Apagyahene and Sunsum Ɔsahene of Akuapem Mampong in the Eastern Region in a ceremony that brought academia and traditional authority together.
For the professor, the occasion was more than a new title. It was a moment that connected his academic interests in African languages and indigenous knowledge with the living traditions of an Akan community.
The day’s events unfolded through a series of customary observances. Kambon was first taken to the compounds of the Ɔkyeamehene and Gyasehene, where the preparations for his installation continued.
Then came the application of hyire, the white kaolin powder associated with traditional rites.
With the customary proceedings underway, the new chief was lifted onto the shoulders of celebrants and carried along the main thoroughfare of Akuapem Mampong.
The procession transformed the streets into a public stage for a ceremony rooted in the community’s traditional institutions.
There was something striking about the image, a university professor, accustomed to the measured language of academic discourse, being carried through the town in a display of traditional recognition.
Yet the celebration was not complete with the procession.
A ram was sacrificed at the Mamponghene’s compound before Kambon was taken to the palace, to swear the oath associated with his new offices.
The ceremony brought him formally into his roles as Apagyahene and Sunsum Ɔsahene.
Beyond the colourful proceedings, the titles themselves carry layers of historical meaning.
Kambon in his research explores the historical connections between Apagya and Akan political and military organisation.
Accounts cited in his work linked Apagya to an asafo, or military company, while historical writing traces an Apagya stool in Asante to the reign of Opoku Ware I in the eighteenth century.
These historical associations offer a glimpse into the institutions that have shaped Akan society over generations, although they do not automatically define the precise responsibilities of the office in Akuapem Mampong.
Kambon’s own professional life reflects a similar interest in preserving and examining African knowledge.
His work encompasses Akan language structure, naming practices across the Black world, proverbs and indigenous intellectual traditions.
Through Abibitumi, the platform he founded, he also promotes language learning, scholarship and cultural engagement.
But tradition was only one part of the story that day.
When the formal ceremony gave way to a reception, the occasion expanded into a celebration of three milestones: Kambon’s enstoolment, his promotion to full professor and his daughter Ama’s admission to the University of Ghana.
The gathering therefore carried a personal significance that went beyond the honours bestowed on one man. 
It celebrated professional advancement, the continuation of family aspirations and a connection to cultural heritage.
For a father, seeing a daughter gain admission to the same university where he holds a distinguished academic position offered another reason to celebrate.
For the professor, the moment placed family achievement alongside his own professional and traditional milestones.
Kambon had already established a place in the traditional life of Akuapem Mampɔn through an earlier installation as Banmuhene Kyidɔmhene, recorded in 2017.
His latest enstoolment adds another chapter to that relationship.
In Akuapem Mampɔn, the day brought together the university, the palace and the family table in one celebration. And for Kambon, the journey from the lecture room to the traditional procession showed how scholarship, cultural responsibility and family achievement could converge in a single memorable occasion.
By Enoch Ntiamoah Siaw
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