Women in traditional leadership called upon to develop their capacity.

Wa (U/W), July 8, GNA - Women in traditional leadership positions have been called upon to develop their capacity and potentials to enable them to confront development challenges of their generation.

This would also help them to have a fair share of the national cake as well as enhance women participation in good governance and the decentralization process.

Mr Issaku Saliah, Upper West Regional Minister, made the call at a capacity building workshop organized by the Centre for Indigenous Knowledge and Organisational Development (CIKOD) in collaboration with Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) for Traditional Women Leaders (TWL) at Wa under the theme, "We are the solution, celebrating Africa family system."

The Minister reiterated government's efforts to give women a voice in the country's development process and also to contribute their quota to the enhancement of the nation as well as the development of the Agricultural sector.

It was aimed at strengthening the leadership and organizational capacity of women leaders to enable them to contribute to good governance and community development in their region and the country.

The minister said the role and influence of women leaders in the traditional setting could not be overemphasized since they served as counselors and advisors in building peace during conflict times.

"Women are the majority in Ghana and when they are empowered, the positive results would reflect on the nation," he said.

Mr. Issaku commended CIKOD and its collaborators for transforming and utilizing indigenous set-ups for society's progress.

He urged the participants to adopt some areas for conservation in the area of bush burning control to curb the rampant destruction of property in the farming communities.

The Minister entreated the women to plant economic tress such as mangoes and cashew for sustainable poverty alleviation, as well as an environmental conservation tool to attract investors into the farming communities.

He noted that it would also lay the foundation for assisting in the attainment of a forested north as envisaged under the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority(SADA) initiative.

Mamaga Amega Kofi I, Paramount Queen mother of Peki Traditional Area noted that traditional women had for some time now been excluded from chieftaincy issues.

She said it was high time the role of the traditional leaders was recognized in the country to enable them to contribute their quota because they deserved to be given equal rights.

She said the constitution gave authority to the National House of Chiefs to codify customary laws which often governed women's lives and commended the National House of chiefs and the Ministry of Chieftaincy and Culture for recognizing the role of traditional women leaders in the development of the nation.

She called for women to be elected into the house of chiefs to participate in decision making, and also to be paid allowances as done to the male chiefs.

However, she emphasized that efforts were being made to organize a National Council of Women Traditional leaders to help address the grievances of women in the country.

Mrs. Rebecca Akua Sabri, President of Rural Women Farmers Association (RUWFA), noted that women undertook 70 per cent of food production and managed 100 per cent of food processing in the country but their efforts were not recognized.

She called on government to discourage the adoption of industrial agriculture which was a focus of government policies to address the food crisis in the country.

"Our food crops are chemically infested and stored with chemicals which are killing our people daily as well as causing cancer and other unknown diseases that are not curable," she stressed.

The RUWFA President urged government to help do away with the use of chemicals in farming activities to avoid any future hazard, adding that the chemicals were killing people in the country.

Dr. Isaac Owusu-Mensah, Senior Preogramme Manager of KAS said the organization was aimed at promoting development of good governance across the world.

He said it was important for queen mothers in the North to liaise with their counterparts in southern Ghana to champion the needs and aspirations of the people they were elected to serve.

Mr Owusu-Mensah urged the queen mothers to refrain from politics because the 1992 constitution prohibited chiefs and queen mothers from engaging in partisan politics.

Mr Ben Guri, Executive Director, CIKOD, said traditional authorities and existing institutions were key to poverty alleviation and development in rural Ghana.

He said the training would educate traditional leaders on the relationship between traditional governance systems and the formal local governance system to identify the role and strengthen the capacity of traditional women leaders to enable them to utilize both modern and traditional conflict resolution methods.

"CIKOD is therefore committed to developing strategies that build on our traditional structures and institutions to give voice to our rural communities to advocate for resources for development," he said.