Traditional leaders undergo training Workshop at UPSA

The Otumfuo Centre for Traditional Leadership (OCTL), of the University of Professional Studies (UPSA) has commenced a five-day workshop for Staff of Traditional Councils, Regional and National House of Chiefs to enhance their capacity.

The training workshop is to help build the capacity of the participants in the diverse areas of traditional leadership such as governance at the District level and how Chiefs and traditional leaders can leverage and whip up the interests of the citizenry to participate in the District Assemblies.

In a speech read on his behalf at the opening ceremony, Professor Abdenego Okoe Amartey, the Vice- Chancellor of UPSA said the role of Chiefs and traditional leaders was pivotal and hence the significance of the workshop.

He urged all participants to acquire knowledge as they could play the role of agents of change and development in the Ghanaian society.

He said the workshop, which is the seventh since the Centre was established in 2015, attracted hundreds of participants from all the regions of the country.

Prof Amartey said the University was of the hope that participants of the training workshop would not limit the use of the knowledge gained in their jurisdictions but spread the good news for the benefit of other chiefs and traditional leaders.

Torgbi Keh XII, Divisonal Chief of Gbi-Wegbe in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, expressed gratitude to Mr John Peter Amewu, the Energy Minister for sponsoring 3 chiefs and 10 queen mothers from the Volta region to pursue the course.

Hajia Alima Mahama, the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, in a speech read on her behalf said, the appointment of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCs) over the years, had been identified as a major gap in the governance process.

She said it was as a result of this that the government and other stakeholders had deemed the election of MMDCEs as imperative in addressing this challenge, and that, government had developed a national roadmap to ensure that MMDCEs were elected by 2021.

“Government has undertaken nationwide consultation, sensitisation and awareness across all the regions of Ghana on the subject”, she said.

Mrs Mahama called on Traditional leaders to support the election of MMDCE on political affiliation and assist in educating their subjects on that to ensure its success.

“Deepening popular participation in governance is required to improving local democracy and traditional leadership involvement is imperative”, she noted.

She also urged citizens to put themselves up for the various positions to be elected.

“I will particularly advise women, Persons living With Disability and the youth to put themselves up for Assembly and Unit Committee elections.”, she said.

Dr Gerald Dapaah Gyamfi, Director of the Drolor Centre for Strategic Leadership, UPSA, with oversight responsibility for OCTL, UPSA, said it was vital that traditional leaders were empowered, especially, at a time lands and chieftaincy disputes were on the ascendency.

He said the Centre had since its establishment, provided the platform for an institutionalized training programme to be made available for traditional leaders, to enhance their capacity to lead and manage their resources effectively and sustainably.

“Realizing the benefits of equipping our traditional leaders with the knowledge that will propel them to execute their traditional duties with absolute diligence, this Centre has come out with such a programme that will enable our eminent chiefs to acquire knowledge,” he said.

Dr Gyamfi said the training would focus on leadership, change management, land administration, conflict resolution, philosophical understanding of the chieftaincy institutions, basic record keeping, administration of the chieftaincy institutions, counseling and other laws, among others.