Chief Kweku Andoh (March 1836 – 14 December 1898) was a military officer in the British army and Regent of Edina State (1873–1898). The Fanti expression "Andoh nye woa?" meaning "Art thou Andoh?" is a way of saying "Who Do You Think You Are?" and serves as a testament to the great esteem held towards Chief Andoh.Gallery of Gold Coast Celebrities, Vol II, Isaac S. Ephson

Early life

Chief Andoh was born in March 1836 in

Senya Beraku Senya Beraku is a residential area in the Awutu Senya East (municipal district), Awutu Senya West District of the Central Region (Ghana), Central Region of Ghana. Senya Beraku is the site of Fort Goede Hoop, Ghana, Fort Good Hope. See also *A ...

. His parents were Opanyin Kwamina Amissah and Mena Adwoa Boafo from the Anona Clan of

. His father was a prison officer working for the Dutch in

Elmina Castle Elmina Castle was erected by the Portuguese in 1482 as Castelo de São Jorge da Mina (''St. George of the Mine Castle''), also known as ''Castelo da Mina'' or simply ''Mina'' (or '' Feitoria da Mina''), in present-day Elmina, Ghana, formerly t ...

. He was educated at the Wesleyan Primary School in Senya Beraku and subsequent schools in Cape Coast and Elmina. After his education he took up a mercantile appointment and eventually became an Assistant Agent for F. & A. Swanzy at Apam, Anomabu, and Cape Coast 1852-1863

Career

Chief Andoh served as Opanyin (Principal Secretary) to Omanhene Kobina Gyan of Elmina from 1863 to 1872. Upon the latter's expulsion to

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered to the southeast by Liberia and by Guinea to the north. Sierra Leone's land area is . It has a tropical climate and envi ...

Chief Andoh was appointed regent of

Elmina Elmina ( Fante: ''Edina'') is a town and the capital of the Komenda/Edina/Eguafo/Abirem District on the south coast of Ghana in the Central Region. It is situated on a bay on the Atlantic Ocean, west of Cape Coast.Straight line distances ...

in 1873 and later of Edina State, a position he held until his death in December 1898. Chief Andoh was a lieutenant in the British Army and was therefore one of the first Africans to serve as an officer for the British. He was awarded the Queen's Africa General Service Medal and Clasp 1874. He was instrumental to the British forces led by

Sir Garnet Wolseley Field Marshal Garnet Joseph Wolseley, 1st Viscount Wolseley (4 June 183325 March 1913) was an Anglo-Irish officer in the British Army. He became one of the most influential British generals after a series of victories in Canada, West Africa and E ...

in the defeat of

Prempeh I Prempeh I (Otumfuo Nana Prempeh I; 18 December 1870 – 12 May 1931) was the thirteenth king ruler of the Ashanti Empire and the Oyoko Abohyen Dynasty. King Prempeh I ruled from March 26, 1888 until his death in 1931, and fought an Ashanti war ...

by leading their way as a scout to

Kumasi Kumasi is a city and the capital of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly and the Ashanti Region of Ghana. It is the second largest city in the country, with a population of 443,981 as of the 2021 census. Kumasi is located in a rain forest region ...

. One of the members of this campaign was

Baden-Powell Lieutenant-General Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, ( ; 22 February 1857 – 8 January 1941) was a British Army officer, writer, founder of The Boy Scouts Association and its first Chief Scout, and founder, with ...

who dedicated his book, The Downfall of Prempeh to him: "Dedicated (Without His Permission) To Chief Andoh of Elmina. My Guide, Adviser And Friend".The Downfall of Prempeh: A Diary of life with the native levy in Ashanti 1895-96, Major R. S. S. Baden-Powell It is said that Chief Andoh taught

about scouting in the jungle and was thus a pioneer of the

Scouting Scouting or the Scout Movement is a youth social movement, movement which became popularly established in the first decade of the twentieth century. It follows the Scout method of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activi ...

Movement. Furthermore, the Scout handshake was purportedly a homage to Chief Andoh who was left-handed and had the tendency to shake hands with his left. He is also accredited in assisting the British in creating the First Gold Coast Police Force.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Andoh, Kweku Elmina monarchs British colonial army officers