Nana Kwame Akuoko Sarpong, the Paramount Chief of the Asante Akyem Agogo Traditional Area and one of Ghana’s most distinguished traditional rulers, has died. He was 87.
The Agogomanhene died in the late hours of Thursday, March 26, 2026, after a battle with health challenges. His death brings to a close a reign of more than 50 years on the Agogo stool, one of the longest in the history of the Asante Akyem area.
Born on August 11, 1938, Nana Akuoko Sarpong was enstooled as Omanhene on December 23, 1975, succeeding his uncle, Nana Kwaku Duah. He was 37 years old at the time of his enstoolment, having been a practising lawyer with more than a decade of legal experience. On January 16, 1976, he swore the Oath of Allegiance before the Asantehene, Otumfuo Opoku Ware II, at the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi, where the Asantehene declared: “Now you have got a chief you deserve, a well-educated and brilliant lawyer. Hold him tight.”
Beyond the traditional stool, Nana Akuoko Sarpong carved out a distinguished parallel career in law and national politics. He served as Secretary for Health, Secretary for Internal Affairs, and Secretary for Chieftaincy Affairs in the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) government under Jerry John Rawlings. He also served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for the Asante Akyem North constituency during Ghana’s Third Republic on the Popular Front Party (PFP) ticket, and was opposition spokesman on Foreign Affairs during that period.
His last public office was as a member of the Council of State during the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government of President John Evans Atta Mills and, following Mills’ death in office, under President John Dramani Mahama, from 2009 to 2013.
Under his reign, the Agogo Traditional Area recorded significant development, including the establishment of the Faculty of Health Sciences of the Presbyterian University at Agogo, the extension of clean water supply across the Asante Akyem North area, and the cultivation of 1,000 hectares of teak forest on degraded land.
Nana Akuoko Sarpong is survived by 15 children, including TV3 journalist and media personality AJ Akuoko-Sarpong. Funeral arrangements had not been announced at the time of publication.
