Asantehene Makes Prescription for Ghana’s Socio-economic Deficiency

With Ghana entering its seventh decade of independence, the King of the Asante Kingdom, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has prescribed panacea to transform the country’s fortunes for the realization of economic and social prosperity.

Speaking at the Ghana Business Leaders’ Conclave at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) on May 15, 2026, under the theme, “Leading With Integrity: Negotiation, Mediation and Ethical Governance for Business Sustainability,” His Majesty said the country’s turning point depends on integrity.

The Monarch stressed that business without integrity is dangerous, leadership without humility is arrogance, and prosperity without ethics is fragile.

“Let this conclave send forth leaders who understand that negotiation is not manipulation, mediation is not weakness, governance is not bureaucracy, and business is not greed,” he said.

He was hopeful the conclave would produce men and women who will build enterprises, resolve disputes, create jobs, honour contracts, respect workers, pay taxes, protect the environment and serve the nation.

“If we do this, then the next decade will not be another decade of lamentation. It will be a decade of enterprise. It will be a decade of ethical leadership. It will be a decade of builders.”

Rich History
Otumfuo made the remarks after reviewing Ghana’s earned place in the history of Africa and the world as a leader in the struggle for the continent’s liberation.

“From Algeria to Angola, Mozambique to Zimbabwe, from the struggle against colonial domination to the collapse of apartheid in South Africa, the hand of Ghana was ever present, ever firm, and ever critical.”

He also highlighted the contributions of Ghanaians such as Kofi Annan, Dr. Robert Gardiner, Kenneth Dadzie, and Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey to global affairs.

Gloom
The Monarch decried that the struggles of independence have not yet translated into prosperity in every home, opportunity for every child, and dignity for every citizen.

“There is no truer measure of our national progress than the state of our economy. It is the economy that determines whether we are able to provide food for the table, shelter for families, clothes for children, education for our people, healthcare for our communities, and safety for our homes,” he said.

Stronger Political Allegiance
Otumfuo identified excessive partisanship as a cause of the gloom, noting that politics had consumed the country’s most productive years over the last six decades.

“Politics has clouded those decades because allegiance to party has too often been stronger than allegiance to the state.”

“We must be honest enough to admit that the past decades have been too dominated by politics, and not always by the kind of politics that builds our nation. We have sung the praises of politicians and ignored those whose toil, innovation, and enterprise drive the nation forward,” Otumfuo said.

Builders, Not Talkers
The Asantehene said the country must now abandon talk for action and embrace the role of nation builders.

“After almost 70 years, the lesson is clear. We have had enough of the talk. Ghana must now become a nation of builders. We must move from political rhetoric to building businesses. We must move from slogans to production. We must move from lamentation to enterprise. We must move from dependency to value creation,” he said.

“We must move from the garden path of promises to the hard road of work, discipline, sacrifice, and innovation. The decade before us must be a decade of business. It must be the decade in which all our energies are directed toward building a strong, resilient, ethical, and sustainable economy.”

He added that political leaders must create the right environment, provide sound policy, and ensure stability, while citizens, entrepreneurs, professionals, and institutions take on the duty to create, innovate, and add value to natural resources.

Trust Deficit
Otumfuo drew attention to deepening trust deficit in leadership is weakening the foundations of the republic.

“Every four or eight years, we welcome leaders with great hope, yet too often loyalty is short-lived, trust is fragile, and our heroes soon end up in the depths of disappointment.”

He recognised that the erosion of trust now extends beyond politics into business, banking, boardrooms, marketplaces, classrooms and homes.

“We cannot ignore the danger. Democracy requires elections, but nation-building requires trust. Democracy changes government, but trust sustains societies.”

“We may change leaders through the ballot box, but if we do not rebuild confidence in one another, we shall weaken the very foundation on which the republic rests,” he added.

Purpose of the Conclave
Applauding the Otumfuo Centre for Traditional Leadership for instituting the Conclave, His Majesty said it could be a turning point in national orientation.

“This conclave sets us on the right path. It seeks to create the platform for the emergence of leadership committed to doing the right things and in the right manner to achieve the right outcomes. It seeks to prepare executives who are not only equipped with technical skills but also imbued with the mindset of transformative leadership in a new era of business.”

Integrity
The Asantehene further dwelled on integrity, defining it as the practical reality of life.

“It is how a person behaves when nobody is watching. It is how a leader acts when power is in his hands. It is how a manager decides when profit is at stake. It is how a country behaves when convenience tempts it away from truth,” he said.

Citing the International Centre for Academic Integrity, he affirmed that honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility and courage were indispensable for business success.

His Majesty also drew on his experience in conflict resolution, saying the same virtues apply in business.

“We were able, on our ascension to the Golden Stool, to resolve disputes that threatened the unity of Asanteman. In time, we extended that experience to the resolution of wider national conflicts. The lesson is simple: every conflict has a solution. Every dispute, once started by men, can be resolved by men,” he said.

“If they apply reason, fairness, patience, perseverance and respect for truth and honour, these same attributes are needed in business from the shop floor to the boardroom, from dispute to labour relations, from contract negotiations to national development planning.”

He stressed that negotiation and mediation must be seen as moral disciplines, not just technical skills.

“A negotiator without integrity manipulates. A mediator without fairness destroys trust.”

UPSA Inspiration
Otumfuo recalled how Nana Opoku Ampoma, a Daily Graphic reporter, foresaw Ghana’s need for professional accountants and founded what became UPSA.

“He did not sit waiting for government, he did not wail over the difficulty but asked himself what he could do for the nation. He had no bank balance but he had vision, ingenuity, courage, and the drive to scale heights,” he emphasized.

“What began as a dream in difficult circumstances has today become UPSA. His success resulted from the application of integrity,” the King said.

Character, Not Certificates
Otumfuo also enlightened the students present at the conclave about the society’s expectation of them.

“You are not preparing for employment but responsibility. Some of you will become chief executives, lawyers, engineers, doctors…When that day comes, Ghana will not only ask what degree you obtained, but what kind of person you became.”

Otumfuo further updated their definition of greatness, highlighting honesty, service, discipline and the courage to do right when wrongdoing is profitable.

“Your generation must refuse to normalize corruption. You must refuse to celebrate environmental destruction. You must refuse to accept that politics must always divide us,” His Majesty adding, “You must be modern, rooted and ambitious but ethical, confident, humble, successful, and then responsible.”

Story by Hajara Fuseini

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