End of Teshie chieftaincy saga as Gbetsoolo joins Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs

Gbetsoolo Nii Ashitey Akomfra III, Teshie Mantse has finally resumed his rightful place as a member of the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs.

Teshie is the last Six Ga Coastal town to be established around 1710. The town is constituted by five main Clans or Quarters and twenty-six Villages.

The Teshie township is sandwiched between La and Nungua and stretches from the shoreline of the Atlantic Ocean to the foot of the Akwapim Mountains.

For well over three hundred years Teshie ranked best among its contemporaries by virtue of its resilient fishing industry, military exploits and a galaxy of internationally acclaimed scholars, businessmen and master craftsmen.

Teshie also played a very pivotal role in the establishment of the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs and was rewarded with a permanent seat in the august House.

However, in April, 1983 the then PNDC Secretary for the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council wrote an official letter to debar Nii Ashikwei Akomfra III the Teshie Mantse from attending meetings and participating in any of the activities of the GARHCs.

As a result of this fatal blow and the resultant health challenges led to the untimely death of the affected Teshie Mantse in 1985.

Since then, the search for a worthy occupant for the Teshie Stool resulted in what seemed like endless chieftaincy disputes and threats to life and property.

Thankfully, in 2005 the Joint Teshie Chieftaincy Arbitration Committee (JTCAC) under the distinguished chairmanship of Justice S. G. Baddoo (retired Justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana) ruled that it was the turn of Ashitey We to provide the next Teshie Mantse.

Gbetsoolo Nii Ashitey Akomfra, was nominated, elected and enstooled as Teshie Mantse on December 18, 2014 in accordance with Teshie Customary Law and Usage.

Gbetsoolo’s name was eventually entered into the National Register of Chiefs on September 26, 2019 as the Paramount Chief of Teshie.

The induction ceremony of Gbetsoolo Nii Ashitey Akomfra III took place at the Guggisberg Memorial Hall on Thursday, May 21, 2020.

As part of the programme, a High Court Judge, Her Ladyship Justice Jane Harriette Akweley Quaye, administered the official oath, the oaths of secrecy and allegiance and the judicial oath.

After the swearing-in ceremony, Nii Okwei Kinka Dowuona VI, President of the Regional House of Chiefs warmly welcomed the new member and admonished him to contribute meaningfully to the activities of the House.

The Honourable Member of Parliament for the Ledzokuku Constituency and Deputy Minister of Health, Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye, donated a quantity of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) to the House.

Dr. Okoe Boye called on the Chiefs to partner government by educating their subjects on the official protocols for the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Teshie Mantse Palace acknowledges the support and contributions of all individuals and institutions towards this important milestone and also extend special acknowledgements to the fallen heroes of this struggle: Ashitey Mumui, Adesa Bagagi, Konkoni, Nii Amarh Alaarnor: Nii Akpor Adzei II, Nii Akron Sablasu II, Nii Amarh Kofi, Nii Ashai Noah, Awotse, Nii Ashai Abui, Nii Anum Sempeni.