Business magnate Sir Sam Jonah has asserted that the world would be in a better place with more leaders like the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II. “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. The world does not need more weapons. The world needs more leaders like Otumfuo,” he stated.
Speaking at the World-Meets-in-Ghana Executive Dinner Ball celebrating Otumfuo as a Pillar of Peace on the King’s 27th coronation anniversary, Sir Jonah, who chaired the event, surveyed conflicts around the world: “Ukraine bleeds, the Middle East burns, tensions fracture the architecture of international order that the previous generation built at great cost. Multilateralism is under strain, alliances that once seemed permanent are proving negotiable, and too many leaders find profit in the performance of conflict.” He pointed out that these conflicts stand in stark contrast to the Asantehene’s peacemaking role.
Sir Jonah offered further insight into the commemorative Otumfuo gold coin, saying, “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 make a difference,” Sir Jonah said.
Praising Otumfuo for his peace initiatives, he stressed that a king who reduces the load of the judiciary in a country not short of disputes makes no small contribution.
