Several hundred residents in Kumasi lined up along some principal streets to welcome Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Asantehene, back from the United States of America to Kumasi on Thursday, September 3, 2026.
Predominantly traders and schoolchildren holding miniature Asanteman flags, residents waved at the King during his convoy from Airport Roundabout at 12:20 p.m. to Manhyia Palace at 3:25 p.m., where customary rites were performed for his safe arrival.
The King’s procession led by motorcades and horses, from the Airport Roundabout headed towards Krofrom, then to the Suame Roundabout to Abrepo Junction before proceeding to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital Roundabout (Gee Roundabout).
From Gee Roundabout, Otumfuo’s procession, joined by Kumasi Mayor Hon. Richard Ofori Agyeman Boadi, security heads, chiefs, queen mothers and youth groups, headed through Kejetia, Adum, KMA and Asafo Interchange to Amakom Roundabout before ending at Manhyia Palace.
Otumfuo, it could be recalled, led a historic delegation, departing Kumasi, Ghana, on August 23 for important events of Asanteman and of national interest.
While in the U.S., 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 important 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.
Upon his arrival at the Prempeh I International Airport in Kumasi on Thursday September 3, he inspected a parade mounted by the security services, where he took the salute before proceeding to greet his subjects.
Activities to welcome His Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II back home in style were organised by the Manhyia Palace, Asanteman Council, Kumasi Traditional Council, the Regional Coordinating Council and the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA).
BY Thomas Awuah Asem
