Prof. Dr. Otchere Addai Mensah addressing the participants
The maiden Asante Legacy Symposium was held in Kumasi on Friday, August 29, 2025, drawing traditional rulers, statesmen, academics, corporate leaders, and young people under the theme: “Inheriting Greatness: Strengthening Asanteman through History and Youth Consciousness.”
Organised by the Asante Youth Association (AYA), the event set the stage for the upcoming Asante Legacy Awards scheduled for two months’ time.
In his address, Prof. Dr. Otchere Addai Mensah, former Chief Executive Officer of Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), described Asanteman as a symbol of wisdom, culture, integrity, and unity. He traced the kingdom’s resilience to the vision of Otumfuo Osei Tutu I and the ingenuity of Komfo Anokye, noting that collaboration and reverence for the Golden Stool had sustained Asanteman for centuries.
“We must pass on this kingdom just as it was passed on to us — strong, united, and prosperous,” he said. “But to do so, we must equip the youth with the right tools, blending the wisdom of our elders with the creativity and innovation of the younger generation.”
Prof. Addai Mensah cautioned that contemporary challenges such as youth unemployment, cultural erosion, galamsey, and underdevelopment demand innovative solutions. He called for youth leadership councils, mentorship initiatives, and stronger collaboration among chiefs, government, businesses, and communities to empower the younger generation.
He stressed that the youth’s education, digital skills, entrepreneurial drive, and global exposure could be harnessed to preserve Asante culture while spearheading economic transformation through innovation, agribusiness, and cultural tourism.
In his welcome remarks, Dr. Ronald Ofori Anane, President of AYA, described the symposium as a historic platform to honour heroes, inspire youth, and revive Asanteman’s economic and cultural influence.
“Too often, we wait until our legends pass before we honour them,” he said. “This symposium and the Legacy Awards seek to celebrate our living heroes while rekindling the spirit of Asanteman in our youth.”
He outlined four objectives of the symposium: honouring Asante heroes past and present; reminding the youth that Asante’s story is still unfolding; provoking dialogue on economic empowerment; and uniting traditional rulers, politicians, academics, business leaders, and the diaspora.
He warned that Asanteman’s greatest threat today is not war or colonial oppression, but “disunity, apathy, and forgetfulness.”
Also addressing the gathering, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, Member of Parliament for Bosomtwe and former Education Minister, urged Ghanaian students—especially those in visual arts—to transition into engineering fields to help accelerate national development.
“Engineering came from the arts. Those who can draw are the ones we have excluded from engineering,” he remarked in a sideline interview. “If we guide our youth with a growth mindset, discipline, and hard work, they can transform Ghana just as China has done.”
Other notable speakers included Lawyer Obiri Boahen, P.V. Boateng Dadson Jantuah (former Presidential Staffer), and other distinguished sons and daughters of Asanteman.
The symposium ended with a collective call for unity, innovation, and collaboration, underscoring the need to use Asanteman’s rich traditions as a springboard for modern progress.
The chairman for the occasion was Nana Kwaku Gyan-Brokuo II.
FROM David Afum, Kumasi