Ben Ansah Enstooled as Otumfour Badu Bonsu III, Ending Three Years of Vacancy in Ahantaman
Busua had been waiting for three long years, the Ahantaman stool sat vacant, its silence a constant reminder of the void left by the passing of Otumfour Badu Bonsu XV. On Thursday, that silence was shattered — replaced by the thunder of drums, the roar of jubilant crowds, and the weight of history being made in real time.
Ben Ansah, a 30-year-old businessman and entrepreneur, was officially enstooled and outdoored as Otumfour Badu Bonsu III, the new Ahantahene, in a ceremony conducted by the royal Akade family and Busua Stool kingmakers that felt less like an installation and more like a resurrection.
A Town Reborn
The streets of Busua transformed into something altogether extraordinary. Colour, sound and celebration poured into every corner of the coastal town as residents, elders, youth and traditional leaders pressed together along the principal roads, craning for a glimpse of their new overlord. When he finally appeared — draped in rich regalia and raised high in a grand palanquin procession — the atmosphere broke open with cheers that seemed to carry years of anticipation inside them. He was carried through the streets like a promise being delivered, before being ushered to the sacred stool shrine where customary rites sealed what the people had long been waiting for.
One Stool. Three Gates. Zero Disagreement.
What could have been a fractious and complicated succession became something rare and remarkable. All three gates of the royal family looked at Ben Ansah and reached the same conclusion — unanimously, without contest. In a tradition where succession disputes can stretch for years and divide communities deeply, the unity displayed by every faction of the Akade royal family was itself a statement. Elders described the consensus as nothing short of a restoration — not just of leadership, but of the trust and togetherness that holds Ahantaman together.
“This is a day of unity and peace for Ahantaman,” one elder said, his words barely audible above the singing that had taken over the evening.
Young Hands, Heavy Crown
At 30, Otumfour Badu Bonsu III is not simply a new face on an ancient stool. He is a signal — that Ahantaman is looking forward. His background in business brings with it the expectation of development, investment and opportunity, even as he assumes the profound responsibility of preserving a culture that runs deep in the identity of the Ahanta people.
In the months ahead, the new Ahantahene is expected to announce dates for the final funeral rites and burial of his predecessor, a duty that forms part of the sacred obligations that come with the stool. The royal family has also promised to address the significance of the stool name, Otumfour Badu Bonsu III, at the appropriate time.
But for the people dancing in the streets of Busua long after the sun had gone down, the finer details could wait. Thursday belonged to them — to every elder who held on, every young person who grew up hearing stories of the stool’s greatness, and every soul who believed that Ahantaman’s best days were not behind it.
The drums said it loudest. Their king had come home.
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