Hot!
Making Kwamankese great and strong …An audacious agenda for new Tufuhene
Tufuhene of Kwamankese
An employee of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Ms Veronica Hope Jones was recently installed Tufuhene of the Kwamankese Tradi¬tional Area with the stool name Nana Adu Panyin Nkuma II.
Nana Nkuma II, 51, comes from the Anona/ Aduana Royal family of Ayeldu in the Abura-Ase¬bu-Kwamankese district of the Central Region.
She is a Customer Ser¬vice Relations Executive at the ECG at Takoradi in the Western Region.
Her installation to the royal diadem, comes as one of the rare feats in the chieftaincy domain in Ghana, which is male-dom¬inated.
In an interview with The Spectator, Nana Nkuma II, who models as Yaa As¬antewaa, the great Ejisu queen as her mentor, spoke about her appoint¬ment into the high public office, her vision, especial¬ly peace and unity, devel¬opment and advocacy for the youth.
Below are excerpts of the interview:
The Spectator: Congrat¬ulations, Nana, on your installation. What factors do you think were consid-ered for your selection?
Nana Nkuma II: Thank you very much. The se¬lection of a chief and the processes leading to the installation may be due to death, abdication or if it is a new creation. In my case, my uncle died, he was the Tufuhene of the Kwamankese Traditional Area. The family needed to fill the vacuum, and I was chosen.
TS: What do you think was the motivation of the Nsona family for selecting you?
Nana: Well, to the best of my knowledge, I am very brave and firm like Yaa Asantewaa.
TS: Right. You’re talking about firmness and brav¬ery. How would these qualities help you to drive your leadership?
Nana: The role of the Tufuhene is to lead the Asafo companies and other chiefs of Asafo companies of the town. Tufuhene also leads the Asafo com¬panies during the annual turnouts, supervises the training of warriors with the consent and guidance of the Krontihene and enforces strategies during enstoolment and other ceremonial occasions.
Also, the Tufuhene’s duty is to organise the Asafo companies to enliven the ceremonies such as fes¬tivals and national func¬tions.
Again, the Tufuhene resolves disputes among Asafo companies with the support of their leaders. He also sees to the organi¬sation of communal labour and other rescue opera¬tions, such as the search in the forest for lost persons or drowning person at sea with the help of Asafo¬hene, who is also a mem¬ber of Bentsir Number One Asafo Company.
He also fishes out wrong or evil doers in the king¬dom for punishment and can also make recommen¬dations for any person who is contributing significantly to the development of the kingdom. It’s also import¬ant to note that, although, there are no tribal wars, chiefs have now reverted to translating their for¬mer military prowess into development projects and into the realisation of the general well-being of the people.
TS: Briefly, state the kind of leadership you would provide for Kwamankese.
Nana: In terms of securi¬ty and organisation within the community, we call it community development or labour. Unlike the past, tribal wars no more exist so first of all, my role is to unite the people and organise them for com¬munal labour to undertake projects.
Presently, we don’t have any chieftaincy disputes at Ayeldu, so there’s unity amongst us. What I intend to do is to tackle teenage pregnancy among the girls. I will organise a pro¬gramme including mentor¬ships, engage and talk to them about the prospects of completing basic educa¬tion, and even continuing to Senior High School and beyond.
They need to expand their horizon beyond Ayel¬du. Young ladies at Ayeldu must complete their basic education. We’ll also add trading, hair dressing and sewing with support from some leaders and Non-Governmental Organi¬sations.
Another challenge is that, our youth are on the internet engaging in all sort of things; that un-dermines their future. My vision is to empower them to complete basic educa¬tion. Development is not all about office work. They can acquire technical and vocational education to advance their careers.
TS: What are your final words about chieftaincy?
Nana: I am the first woman to become a chief in Kwamankese and it’s a privilege and honour. Very few of us are chiefs in Ghana. We need strong, dynamic leadership, unity and peace to drive the Kwamankese agenda.
I would contact the chief of Essipun, a town near Sekondi who is also a woman and learn to gain some experience. Yes, Yaa Asantewaa is my model.
When women are in the midst of men, it’s easy to get them on board. Together with the Oman-hene, we will tackle the challenges of electricity which has come about because we have only one transformer.
With a reliable power system, we will attract investments, for exam¬ple and boost the local agro-processing industry.
And so with the help of God, my family, stake¬holders and all together, we will make Kwamankese great and strong.
TS: Nana, God bless you.
Nana: Thank you.
Massive celebrations were recorded countrywide as the Black Stars opened their 2026 World Cup campaign with a 1-0 victory over Panama in Toronto on Wednesday.
Midfielder Caleb Yirenkyi scored the only goal of the match late in the game as he shot in a decent cross from substitute Brandon Asante.
The win gave Ghana a positive start in the competition, placing them in second position behind England, also with three points but with a superior goal aggregate.
After the final whistle, the streets and other viewing centres were turned into partying grounds as fans, mostly clad in the team’s paraphernalia, danced to several World Cup-themed music.
Others blew the vuvuzelas in joyous mood with others putting up a spirited ‘jama’ session.
Former New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate for the Adentan Constituency, Akosua Manu, has urged party members to move away from what she describes as an “entitlement mentality” and focus on unity, sacrifice and hard work as the party prepares for the 2028 general election.
In a statement titled “Is Loyalty a Queue?”, and posted on facebook, Ms. Manu argued that loyalty to the NPP should not be judged by how long a person has been in the party but by their contributions and commitment to its growth.
According to her, the NPP’s history shows that many of its leaders faced significant opposition from within the party before eventually leading it to electoral success.
She cited former President John Agyekum Kufuor as an example, saying he had to overcome resistance from influential figures within the party before winning power for the NPP in 2000.
Ms. Manu noted that after the party lost power in 2008, former President Kufuor faced criticism and accusations from some party members.
However, she said supporters eventually put their differences aside and worked together to rebuild the party.
She pointed to the experience of former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who, according to her, faced opposition from some factions within the NPP despite his long service to the party.
“His trials were ten times what Kufuor endured,” she stated, adding that Akufo-Addo eventually overcame the challenges and became President of Ghana.
Turning to the NPP’s current flagbearer, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Ms. Manu said he also faced resistance from different groups within the party while seeking leadership.
She praised Dr. Bawumia for contributing to policy-based political discussions in Ghana and for remaining composed following the NPP’s defeat in the 2024 elections.
According to her, party members must now rally behind him in the same way they supported former Presidents Kufuor and Akufo-Addo.
Ms. Manu, however, warned that internal divisions and a sense of entitlement remain major threats to the party’s future.
She argued that some party members place too much emphasis on how long individuals have belonged to the NPP rather than on their contributions and capabilities.
“This entitlement does not question impact. It does not ask what you sacrificed or what you built. It asks only how long have you been here,” she said.
The former parliamentary candidate cautioned that such attitudes could discourage committed members and prevent the party from selecting the best people for leadership positions.
She further called on the party’s incoming national executives to strengthen the NPP’s core values of sacrifice, honesty, integrity and dedication to national development.
Ms. Manu addressed the concerns of young party supporters, many of whom she said became discouraged following the NPP’s electoral defeat in 2024.
According to her, many young people remain eager to see the party return to power but are unwilling to support internal conflicts driven by personal ambitions.
She urged party elders to place the interests of the NPP above their individual goals and to demonstrate leadership that attracts rather than alienates members.
“The NPP is bigger than any one of us. It always has been. Our collective responsibility is to act like it,” she stated.
By: Jacob Aggrey
