Chieftaincy ministry to restore power of traditional leaders to adjudicate over disputes

Stephen Asamoah Boateng, the Minister of Chieftaincy and Traditional Affairs, says there are plans to review the Chieftaincy Act to restore the power of traditional authorities to adjudicate disputes within their jurisdictions.

He said this would ensure amicable resolution of disputes at the community level, stating, "It is not every problem that we encounter as people that must be settled in the law courts and end in adversarial conclusions."

Boateng announced this in Wa over the weekend when he addressed the chiefs and people of the Wala Traditional Area during the climax of the 2024 Dumba festival celebration.

Scores of chiefs and queen mothers within the Traditional Area and across the region, government functionaries, and representatives from the British High Commission in Ghana attended the event amidst rains that nearly disrupted the celebration.

The Chieftaincy Minister pledged the government’s commitment to adequately resourcing the chieftaincy institutions in the country to enable them to contribute effectively to administering the country.

"To assist in the vital role you play in your governance structure, the government, through my ministry, has set up a working group to resource the Nananom, Niime, Kuoro, Pognamine, and Halakuoro in your administrations.

"Indeed, I have put together a Chieftaincy Development Fund, similar to the District Assembly Common Fund, which hopefully should be put through Parliament for its approval, so Nananom can have their own resources to administer the chieftaincy institutions in your various areas," Boateng explained.

He stated that his ministry had also been working to put in place the necessary measures to reduce the many chieftaincy disputes that had bedeviled the country and help restore peace within those institutions.

The Chieftaincy Minister appealed to traditional leaders to be resolute and support the Ministry and other institutions and stakeholders such as the National Peace Council and Civil Society Organisations in maintaining peace before, during, and after the 2024 general election.

"We must not build our young people to believe that they can fight for power. It is ideas that you have to share with your colleagues and your community, and for them to decide who leads us," Boateng admonished.

Commenting on the recent drought in northern Ghana, Boateng indicated that the government, through the Ministry of Agriculture, had taken steps to alleviate the plight of farmers caused by the drought by rolling out "special packages of inputs and farm machinery to help our farmers."