Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin

Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin is the Okyenhene, king of Akyem Abuakwa in the Eastern Region of Ghana. He was enstooled on 4 October 1999 as the 35th occupant of the Ofori Panin Stool, succeeding his brother, Osagyefo Kuntunkununku II. His reign, now past its 25th anniversary, is best known for his outspoken campaigning on the environment, health and education.

Royal birth, diaspora life

He was born in Kyebi, the Akyem Abuakwa capital, into the Asona royal family. His father, Okyenheba Yaw Boakye Ofori-Atta, was a diplomat, and his mother was Odehyee Joana Akoto Boakye. He attended Abuakwa State College, the first secondary school in Ghana founded by a traditional authority, then took his A Levels in Oxford in England.

He went on to the United States, where he earned a bachelor's degree in political science and public administration in Connecticut. He built a career in insurance there, working as an insurance broker and office manager at First Elizabeth International Brokerage from 1993 to 1998, before he was called home to take the stool.

A green king

From early in his reign the Okyenhene made the environment his cause. Akyem Abuakwa covers forest reserves, farmland and the Atewa hills, the source of rivers that supply water to millions of Ghanaians, and much of it sits on gold. He has spoken out forcefully against illegal mining and forest destruction.

His profile abroad grew with that work. He is co-patron of the World Parks Congress and an honorary vice president of BirdLife International, and the then Prince Charles chose him as the only traditional ruler on the African advisory council of the Prince's Rainforest Project. At home he has served on the boards of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Forest Plantation Development Fund.

Education and health

In 2006 he founded the University College of Agriculture and Environmental Studies at Bunso, where he serves as chancellor. He has backed programmes to keep children in school across Akyem Abuakwa and has run HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns. He is also patron of the Ghana Genome project at the University of Ghana.

Family

He is married to Lady Nana Asabea Ofori-Atta, and they have two children.