Remembering the Late Asantehemaa’s Call for Integrity in the Police Force
As the Ashanti Kingdom prepares to bid farewell to Nana Konadu Yiadom III, many recall her as more than a cultural leader—she was a counsellor and moral compass for those who came before her.
One memorable example came on October 17, 2023, when the various Heads of Women’s Divisions in the Ghana Police Service visited the Manhyia Palace to announce their 70th anniversary.
On that day, the Asantehemaa, speaking through Mamponghemaa Nana Agyakoma Difie II, urged the female officers to carry out their duties with integrity and honour. She reminded them that the police service is a unique institution whose image must be upheld through discipline and ethical conduct.
Drawing from history, she reflected on how, in earlier times, women in some parts of the world could not even vote, let alone serve in law enforcement. She praised the Ghana Police for breaking such barriers and called on the officers to set an example for others.
“During the ancient times in some places women were not even allowed to vote not to talk of becoming police, even the uniform carries some sort of restrictions but as for Ghana Police, I always say you’re exceptional in all angles.”
“Asantehemaa urges you all to work with integrity as women in the police service for honour to all. She is also grateful for the visit and asks for God’s blessings on you all.”
One-week observation
The Manhyia Palace has scheduled Thursday, August 21, 2025, for the one-week observation of the late Nana Konadu Yiadom III, the Asantehemaa and sister of Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.
The date was confirmed by the Asantehene on August 11, 2025, during a meeting of the Asanteman Council, where chiefs and elders were formally informed of her passing.
About Asantehemaa
Born in 1927 at the Benyaade Shrine in Meredane, a small town in Kwadaso, Kumasi, Nana Konadu Yiadom III was the first daughter of Nana Afia Kobi Serwaa Ampem II and Opanin Kofi Fofie.
Entrusted to her aunt, Nana Afia Konadu, while still an infant, she grew up in Ashanti New Town, Kumasi, receiving a rich informal education that instilled discipline, cultural knowledge, and life skills.
As a teenager, she underwent traditional puberty rites alongside her niece, Nana Abena Ansa, and later married Opanin Kwame Boateng, a blacksmith from Aduman in Kumasi.
She was known for her humility, compassion, and sense of fairness, traits that earned her respect across Asanteman. In the mid-1990s, a prophecy foretold her future as Queen, a prediction fulfilled when she ascended the Nyarko Kusiamoah and Konadu Yiadom Stool on February 6, 2017, becoming the fourteenth Asantehemaa.
Her reign was marked by advocacy for maternal health, promotion of breastfeeding, and support for hospitals, as well as initiatives to preserve peace and unity in the Kingdom.
Story by Adwoa S. Danso
