The Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II has challenged President John Mahama to provide the leadership needed to fix the problems confronting the nation so Ghanaians can follow.

According to him, many of the challenges facing Ghana can be addressed by the appropriate leadership response.

Speaking at the 19th Ghana Journalists Association awards in Accra, Saturday, the king of the Ashanti kingdom said: “I have already alluded to the fact that we are passing through difficult times. The fact that we may have been through a similar or even worse experience before can be no comfort.

“What matters is to fix the problem. And while we contemplate the role you can play, we must look to the leadership of the state for the solutions. The tendency to tinker with problems by a process of shifting cultivation does not inspire confidence.”

He added: “The solutions, I have to say, lie in the bosom of one man and only he can provide the answers. So I say unto the President of the Republic, in the seminal words of the Methodist hymn: Master speak. Thy servant heareth. And let's hope we will not have to wait too long for a response.”

The king also urged politicians in the country not to play politics with the state of the economy, especially the depreciation of the local currency, the Ghana Cedi.