Biography Of Ga Manye Naa Dedei Omaedru III

Naa Dedei Omaedru III also known in private life as Naa Dedei Ablah was born on Tuesday, April 20, 1934, to George Holmes and Sarah Akweley Kotey both of blessed memory at Faase Accra.

At a tender age, she travelled to Lagos, Nigeria to live with her late uncle Charles Holmes and attended school there.

She returned to Ghana due to her mother’s illness and continued her education at Adabraka Methodist School where she completed her standard seventh education. After this, she acquired employment at the Pioneer Paper Bag factory, James Town Accra.

On account of her great beauty and grace, she won the Greater Accra beauty contest both in 1960 and 1961. She further contested for the Miss Ghana Beauty contest and placed second.

Naa Dedei moved on to work at the Tema Aluminium factory as a sectional head.

In 1963, at the age of 29, she became Ga Manye. Her stool name, Naa Dedei Omaedru III, a name which she took over from her grandmother Naa Dedei Omaedru II. She was gazetted on 29th November 1968 and ruled for 59 years.

Naa Dedei was well respected and held with deep affection by all with whom she came into contact.

Her achievements for the Ga State during her reign were many. She sought the welfare of the girl child and women especially the queen mothers in the Ga state.

She stood for peace and unity not only for her people of the Ga state but for all Ghanaians. She advocated for the people of the Ga state to unite to propel massive development in the area as well as to safeguard the future of the Ga child.

She was a firm believer that the Ga people would only prosper when a legitimate chief was enstooled in order for her to also perform her duty as the mother of the land.

Throughout her reign, she demonstrated an extraordinary sense and love for the Ga customs and always called on her people to protect their rich values, culture and celebrations.

Naa Dedei Omaedru III was indeed known for her charity work and the love she bore for all her Ga children.

In 2004, she donated items worth over GHC 12 Million to the Ghana Society of the Physically Challenged (GSPD) at the Ghana National Rehabilitation Centre in Accra.

In 2016, the paramount queen left the shores of Ghana for five years for medical treatment in the US.

On April 14, 2021, she returned to Ghana and was received at the VIP Lounge of the Kotoka International Airport by a high-powered Ga delegation led by Nii Adote Otintor II, the acting President of the Ga Traditional Council, the Greater Accra representative of the Council of State, Stanley Adjiri Blankson, Greater Accra Regional Minister, Henry Quartey, Mohammed Adjei Sowah and Alfred Okoe Vanderpuije (past mayors of Accra respectively).