Nene Sir Azzu Mate Kole I: The Dangme leader who was the first literate king in Ghana

Unlike today, where traditional rulers in the country are largely well-educated, the story line, especially in pre-colonial days, was not the same.

But the history of Ghana has been good to one man, Nene Azzu Mate Kole I, making him the first traditional ruler in the country to become educated.

According to details from several sources online, including the University of Cambridge Digital Library, Nene Azzu Mate Kole I was also the first traditional ruler to be appointed to the Legislative Council of the Gold Coast during colonial rule.

But who exactly was this little-known Dangme ruler who made history as the first to be educated in Ghana?

According to details on krobolandonline.com, Oklemekuku (Nene) Azzu Mate Kole was born in January 1910 as Frederick Lawer Mate Kole. He became the fourth Paramount Chief (Konor) of Manya Krobo, succeeding his late father, Sir Emmanuel Mate-Kole, who ruled between 1892 and 1939.

The late Oklemekuku was enstooled Konor of Manya Krobo on June 22, 1939 at a relatively young age of 29 years while serving as an officer of the Gold Coast Police Force, stationed at Mampong Akwapim. At the time of his capture and subsequent enthronement, Nene was already relishing a promising career in the service, spotting an impressive rank of Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), having graduated from the Police College at a record rank of Corporal three years before his “capture”- a rare phenomenon in his days.

The political and cultural head of his people that he was, (and as was the set up in the colonial era), young and progress-minded Nene Azzu Mate Kole, armed with formal education, foresight and administrative acumen, rallied his people to speed up the socio-economic development of the area through self-help which culminated in the re-organisation of the state administrative machinery and the establishment of a stool treasury that soon reflected in a sharp rise in revenue for the work at hand.



It was through this that the state was able to run its own transport services and dug over 25 wells at vantage locations to save what would have been a difficult situation during an acute water shortage in 1947.
As the overlord of Manya Krobo which was to become a notable agricultural centre, Nene would not watch access roads terminate at the sprawling market centers like Asesewa, Sekesua and Ehiamekyene but ensured the construction of bridges on the major rivers and link roads to the farming and production centres such as Sisiamang, Akateng, Osonson, Sutapong, Akotue, Abuachau etc., networking the entire areas in a fashion that was soon to put Manya on the rail to speedy development and to the status as a major food basket for the nation. As if to further showcase the immediate result of these communal and self-supporting activities, Nene and his people together with the District Commissioner of Akuse, Mr. James Moxon organized an Agricultural Show at Odumase-Krobo in 1947 which proved to be the largest and most successful provincial show of the time, attracting not only the Governor of the Gold Coast, Sir Allan Burns, but merchants, manufacturers as well as indigenous and foreign farmers of repute.

Through his instrumentality, and as a way of actualising the recommendations of the Government’s Central Advisory Committee on Education of which he was a member, what became known as the Akro State Schools were established, the first of which was sited at Odumase and followed with fifteen others, spread across the Krobo villages.

Throughout his life, he contributed not only to the development of his native people but to national development, serving as a member of the Legislative Council (later Parliament) under the provisions in the Electoral College which gave representation to the Provincial Council of Chiefs until 1954.



He stood distinguished in his era, earning him membership of various important national committees including the Blackhall Committee on Native Courts; the West African Institute of Science and Industry (1942-1945); Council of the University College of Ghana (1958-1960); the Wartime Economic Committee of the Gold Coast and also as a member of the management board of the West African Cocoa Research Institute. Others include, President of the Eastern Provincial Council of Chiefs (1947); Chairman, National Advisory Committee (1968); Deputy Speaker, Constituent Assembly, (1969); and Member, Coussey Committee on Constitutional Reforms.

Another of his great services to the nation was his close association with the concept, planning and execution of the Volta Dam at Akosombo popularly referred to as the Volta River Project. So significant was his contribution in driving the project to fruition, that he was appointed as the first chief to the first Board of Trustees of the Volta River Authority under the chairmanship of the late Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. He served on the board for ten (10) years.

Nene is also on record to have played a leading role in the establishment of the Ghana Cocoa Board as one of his varied contributions to national development which culminated in his many awards and recognitions such as the Kings’ Medal for Chiefs (KMC) in 1942; Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1948; Order of the Volta (OV) in 1969 which was crowned by the award of degree of Doctor of Laws (LL.D) by the University of Ghana. Nene died on March 15, 1990 shortly after celebrating the Golden Jubilee of his enstoolment (1939-1989), during which the Manya Krobo state conferred on him the highest traditional title of the land Oklemekuku, literally meaning “a great leader and an ancient fellow.”

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