Asante chiefs are lauding their leader, Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, for making a positive mark on Asanteman and Ghana since ascending the Golden Stool.

Chief Linguist, Nana Nsuase Poku Agyemang III, told Nhyira News achievements in education, health, peace and security merit celebration.

Otumfuo Osei Tutu II has asked his sub-chiefs to give a candid assessment of his stewardship as he marks 20 years as King of the Asante Kingdom.

Nana Nsuase Poku III justified the unanimous endorsement of Otumfuo’s leadership thus: "Almost everyone in Ghana has heard about what Otumfuo has done since 20-years that he became Otumfuo. What he has done is not limited to  Ashanti but it cuts across, nationwide. So many people admire it; so many people appreciate that so that is the main motivating factor."

He spoke to Nhyira News at the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi, the Ashanti Region capital.

Cataloguing the achievements of the Asantehene, Nana Opoku Agyemang III said the achievement of the King 'cherished' even by the Pope is unparallel in education since the introduction of the Otumfuo Education Fund.

The fund, he said, has been expanded into the Otumfuo Charity  Foundation to include education, health, culture, water and sanitation.

Programmes under the education arm of the Foundation include Otumfuo Teachers Award, Otumfuo Scholarship Scheme, Otumfuo Mobile Learning Project, Ladies of Tomorrow Mentorship Program and French quiz.

It has provided scholarships to over 20, 000 students at the tertiary education level and recognised deserving teachers in deprived and hard to reach areas for their hard work and contribution to education.

It has since refocused its attention to support institutions in the provision of infrastructure such as classroom blocks, mobile library, among others.

The introduction of mobile learning project did not only received support from corporate bodies such as ECOM Global Cocoa which supported with  GHâ‚¡1.4 million sponsorship package, but it also helped expand education resources to hard-to-reach areas.

In the area of water sanitation, the Asantehene has been instrumental, working tirelessly with Water Health Ghana for instance to provide portable and wholesome water to needy communities.

Such projects have been completed at Kantinkyire, Effiduase, among others as plants that can purify over 3,000 litres of water in an hour are installed. Boreholes have been constructed for Asuhyiae community.

According to Nana Opoku Agyemang III, the role played by the Asantehene as chairman of Eminent Chiefs that mediated and helped resolved the over decade-long logjam between Abudus and Andanis in Dagbon cannot be overemphasised.

Activities for the anniversary which began officially on the March 27 has since been announced.

Ahead of a grand durbar on April 21 to climax the event, an investment forum, dubbed World-Meet-in Ghana, is scheduled for  May 4, 2019, at the Manhyia Palace.

A statue will also be unveiled in Otumfuo’s honour to coincide with the sod-cutting of the second phase of the Central Market Redevelopment Project.

A video exhibition will also be held to showcase his achievements over the 20 years.

A 3-week funeral ban, among other customary and traditional observation, is in force until April 29, 2019.