Mining magnate Sir Sam Jonah has described Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II as a leader who has spent the last 27 years “mining the most precious ore” — peace.
Addressing the ‘World-Meets-in-Ghana Executive Dinner Ball’ on April 24, 2026, to mark the King’s 27th enstoolment anniversary, the former AngloGold Ashanti chief used the metaphor of his experience in the mining sector to capture Otumfuo’s impact since ascending the Golden Stool in 1999.
“As a man who has spent his life in mining and investment, I know the value of what lies beneath the ground. But I have learnt that the most precious ore of all is the kind of leadership that builds rather than divides, destroys, reconciles and cease in every conflict with peacemaking waiting for the negotiated.”
He stated that His Majesty has been mining that ore for 27 years.
According to him, the Asantehene’s reign proves that moral authority and dialogue can achieve what armies and courts cannot.
“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,” Sir Sam Jonah told the gathering.
Resolving Inherited Disputes
Sir Sam Jonah recalled how Otumfuo inherited a portfolio of disputes, wounds, and unresolved tensions alongside the Golden Stool.
Among them was the Effiduase chieftaincy conflict, which had divided communities and families for 23 years.
According to him, the conflict had created a wound that had become so familiar that people had stopped believing it could be healed.
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