KUMASI — German President, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, was presented with a traditional Asante stool by Otumfuo Osei Tutu II during a historic courtesy call at the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi on Thursday, symbolizing friendship between the Asante Kingdom and Germany.
The ceremonial gift, embossed with the Asante emblem representing authority and power, capped a high-profile visit that combined cultural diplomacy with pledges to strengthen Ghana-Germany academic and scientific partnerships.
“The stool represents friendship and mutual respect between the Asante Kingdom and the German people,” said Daasebre Otuo Sereboe II, the Juabenhene, who led the German leader into the presence of the Asantehene.
President Steinmeier’s visit to the palace formed part of his three-day state visit to Ghana and working tour of the Ashanti Region.
The German leader was received at the Otumfuo Osei Tutu II Jubilee Hall with a vibrant kete dance performance by the Manhyia Royal Kete and Adowa troupe before being ushered into a closed-door meeting with the Asantehene.
The private discussions, facilitated by Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr. Frank Amoakohene, focused on matters of mutual interest to Asanteman, Ghana, and Germany.
Prominent Asanteman Council members, including Odeneho Okyere Kusi Ntrama (Essumegyahene), Barima Sarfo Tweneboah Kodua (Kumawuhene), and Baffour Owusu Bediako (Asante Akyem Domeabrahene), attended the reception.
Many observers described the Manhyia Palace reception as one of the most memorable highlights of President Steinmeier’s Ghana tour.
Earlier, President Steinmeier visited the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), where he pledged to expand academic and technological cooperation with Ghana’s premier science institution.
“We are learning from you, and you are learning from us—for the benefit of each other,” President Steinmeier told university officials and students.
KNUST Vice Chancellor, Professor Rita Akosua Dickson, proposed key areas for collaboration, including a sustainable vaccine development program aimed at enabling Africa to produce 60 per cent of its vaccine needs locally by 2040, and a 2MW Smart Solar Energy Park on campus.
The university currently maintains partnerships with more than 25 German institutions, according to Governing Board Chairman Akyamfuo Asafo Boakye Agyemang-Bonsu.
President Steinmeier also toured the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR), a leading biomedical facility jointly operated by KNUST, Ghana’s Ministry of Health, and Germany’s Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine.
Accompanied by German Ambassador Frederik Landshöft, Dr. Amoakohene, and Mr. Richard Agyeman-Boadi, MCE–KMA, the President visited specialised laboratories including the biodiversity lab and outbreak preparedness block.
Established in 2003, KCCR has become a centre of excellence for infectious diseases, immunology, and molecular diagnostics research in West Africa.
The German President has since departed Kumasi, concluding what officials described as a fruitful visit to the Ashanti Region.
FROM KINGSLEY E. HOPE, KUMASI
🔗 Follow Ghanaian Times WhatsApp Channel today. https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbAjG7g3gvWajUAEX12Q
🌍 Trusted News. Real Stories. Anytime, Anywhere.
✅ Join our WhatsApp Channel now! https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbAjG7g3gvWajUAEX12Q
