The royal family of Dagbon has formally announced the death of its overlord, Ya‐Na Abukari Mahama II, to Ghana’s presidency, marking a key moment in the kingdom’s transition after the revered monarch’s passing earlier this month.
Royal delegation meets President at Jubilee House
On Monday 20 July, a high‐powered delegation from the Dagbon traditional area paid a solemn courtesy call on President John Dramani Mahama at Jubilee House in Accra to officially notify him of the Ya‐Na’s death.
The delegation was led by Naa Yeb’Nanton Naa Mahamadu V, who conveyed the family’s deep appreciation for the president’s support both during the Ya‐Na’s final illness and in the days following his death.
“We wish to formally announce to Your Excellency, the Government and the people of Ghana the passing of His Royal Majesty Ya‐Na Abukari Mahama II, King and Overlord of the Dagbon Kingdom,” the family said.
The spokesperson confirmed that Ya‐Na Abukari Mahama II died on Saturday 11 July 2026. In line with Islamic practice and Dagbon royal custom, he was buried at dawn on Monday 13 July at the historic Gbewaa Palace, the ceremonial seat of the kingdom.
Funeral rites, regency and succession timetable set
The family outlined a structured programme of mourning rites and succession steps now under way in the northern Ghanaian kingdom.
They disclosed that the third‐day prayers were held on Thursday 16 July, while the seventh‐day prayers will be observed on Friday 24 July. The installation of a regent, who will serve as caretaker of the skin during the transitional period, is scheduled for Friday 31 July.
These ceremonies form part of a highly codified traditional process in Dagbon, designed to ensure continuity, stability and consensus ahead of the eventual selection and enskinment of a new Ya‐Na.
President praised for ‘compassionate’ intervention
The delegation used the meeting to publicly commend President Mahama for his personal role in securing advanced medical treatment abroad for the Ya‐Na when his health deteriorated.
“Your Excellency did not hesitate… This was not merely the act of a President towards a traditional leader; it was the act of a compassionate human being towards a great man whose life and legacy deserved every effort to preserve,” the family said.
They also thanked him for arranging for the dignified repatriation of the late king’s remains to Ghana.
“You ensured that our king, who lived with dignity, returned home with dignity… an act of grace the Dagbon Kingdom will remember for generations,” the family added.
Pledge to uphold peace and unity
In their address at Jubilee House, members of the royal family vowed to honour Ya‐Na Abukari Mahama II’s legacy, describing peace and unity as the defining pillars of his reign.
They pledged to safeguard those values as Dagbon navigates the sensitive transition to new leadership, and appealed for continued support from the presidency and the wider Ghanaian state during the process.
The late Ya‐Na is widely credited with helping consolidate calm and reconciliation in Dagbon following years of internal disputes, and his death is viewed as a major moment for both the kingdom and northern Ghana more broadly.
Schools reopen after week of mourning in Yendi
In the Dagbon traditional capital, Yendi, daily life has begun to resume after a week of formal mourning.
Academic activities in the Yendi Municipality, which had been suspended to enable pupils, teachers and residents to pay their respects to the overlord, restarted on Monday. Schools reopened after the observance of prescribed traditional customs, signalling a careful return to routine following the king’s burial.
The resumption of classes underscores efforts by local authorities and traditional leaders to balance deep communal grief with the need to restore normal social and economic activity, even as the kingdom moves through the remaining stages of its royal funeral and succession rituals.
