Born Nana Ama Konadu and affectionately known as Nana Panin or Naa Panin, she ascended to the stool as Nana Konadu Yiadom III, the 14th Asantehemaa, on February 6, 2016.
Her life began in 1927 at the Benyaade Shrine in Merdan, a small town near Kwadaso in Kumasi, during the era of the Asante Confederacy’s restoration. She was the daughter of Nana Afia Kobi Serwaa Ampem II, who reigned as Asantehemaa from 1977 to 2016, and Opanin Kofi Fofie, popularly called Koofie or Keewuo, a carpenter from Besease near Atimatim in Kumasi.
When she was just over a year old, still being breastfed, she was separated from her mother and entrusted to her aunt, Nana Afia Konadu, at Ashanti New Town (Ash-Town), a Kumasi suburb.
Although she never received formal schooling, she underwent rigorous and enriching informal education, gaining practical knowledge and life skills beyond classroom walls. As a teenager, she was initiated into womanhood, undergoing traditional puberty rites alongside her niece, Nana Abena Ansa.
She later married Opanin Kwame Boateng, a blacksmith from Aduman in Kumasi. Known for her religious devotion, kindness, humility, and firm but fair leadership, she earned deep respect within Asanteman. In the mid-1990s, Kwaku Firi Bosomfo, the priest of Kwaku Firi, prophesied, through Baffour Akoto, Senior Linguist of the Asantehene, that she would one day become Queen of Asante. The prophecy was eventually fulfilled.
Her reign was marked by generosity, fairness, and advocacy for maternal and child welfare. The Saviour Church honored her contributions by naming a school, Nana Konadu Saviour School, in her name. She consistently mediated disputes with equity, ensuring amicable resolutions for all parties involved.
In celebration of her fifth anniversary as Asantehemaa, she made significant donations to the Mother-Baby Unit (MBU), Pediatric Emergency Care Unit (PICU), and Pediatric Emergency Unit (PEU). She also paid the medical expenses of all new mothers at both the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital and Manhyia Government District Hospital.
Passionate about child health, she launched an annual campaign encouraging mothers to breastfeed, reinforcing her commitment to the well-being of the youngest members of the community.
Her demise was announced on Monday, August 11, 2025. She passed on at the age of 98.
