Business mogul Sir Sam Jonah has asserted that the world would be in a better place with more leaders like the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, describing him as an indisputable peacemaker.
Speaking at the ‘World-Meets-in-Ghana Executive Dinner Ball’ on April 24, 2026, held in honour of the King’s 27th enstoolment anniversary, Sir Sam Jonah highlighted the troubled state of the world.
“Ukraine bleeds, the Middle East burns, tensions fracture the architecture of international order that the previous generation built at great cost. Multilateralism is under strain, alliances that once seemed permanent are proving negotiable, and too many leaders find profit in the performance of conflict,” he said.
The respected global mining executive contrasted the global turmoil with the distinguished leadership of the Asantehene.
“We have a man who has spent 27 years demonstrating quietly, persistently, and effectively that there is another way. That dialogue, patiently sustained, is stronger than any decree, that moral authority deployed in the service of peace can accomplish what no army or court can compel. The world does not need more weapons. The world needs more leaders like Otumfuo.”
Sir Jonah recalled how Otumfuo used dialogue to resolve a portfolio of disputes, wounds, and unresolved tensions he inherited alongside the Golden Stool in 1999.
He cited the Effiduase chieftaincy conflict that had festered for 23 years, dividing communities and families.
According to him, the conflict had created a wound that had become so familiar that people had stopped believing it could be healed. “His Majesty took it up. Seven sittings and it was done,” he said.
Sir Jonah further referenced former Chief Justice Kwesi Anin Yeboah’s observation that Otumfuo’s intervention in chieftaincy disputes had significantly reduced the burden on the courts.
“Ladies and gentlemen, think about it. A king who reduces the load of the judiciary in a country not short of disputes. That is no small contribution.”
He also drew attention to the Asantehene’s role in Dagbon, the peaceful political transitions in 2012 and 2016, as well as the Bawku chieftaincy dispute.
Education Drive
Sir Jonah stated that the Asantehene’s commitment to education aligns with his peace agenda. He explained that it forms part of an ambition to extend peacemaking across generations.
“An educated society creates its own conditions for peace. It builds institutions, it develops the capacity for resolving disagreements, it produces citizens who settle disputes with words, not weapons. In supporting education, Otumfuo is not only fulfilling a royal duty but is planting peace in soil that will bear fruit long after all of us in this room have taken our bow.” Gold Coin
The Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast (UCC) noted that the commemorative Gold Coin was minted to express gratitude and recognise the King while he lives.
“The commemorative gold coin that honours His Majesty is not merely a beautiful object, though it certainly is. It is a statement that this community, this world, chooses to recognise greatness in the living, to say thank you while the ears that need to hear are still open.
“The coin and all the artworks unveiled tonight will go into homes, offices, and treasuries around the world, bearing with them a very simple message: that peace is possible. That one person, in one chair, with sufficient wisdom and moral courage, can take the skill.”
Gracing the occasion were former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Commonwealth Secretary-General Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, the Olu of Warri Kingdom in Nigeria, His Royal Majesty Ogiame Atuwatse III, and his wife, Her Royal Highness Olori Atuwatse III, and Nana Oye Bampoe Addo, who represented President John Dramani Mahama.
Also present were Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, Bank of Ghana Governor Dr. Johnson Asiama, politician Alan Kyerematen, Council of State member Betty Mould-Iddrisu, Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga, and Ashanti Regional Minister Dr. Frank Amoakohene.
Story by Hajara Fuseini
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Source:
opemsuo.com