Volta Region chiefs to brainstorm on succession law

Ho (Volta Region) -- Chiefs, Legal Experts, Social Workers and other stakeholders would meet in Ho on November 20 and 21 to discuss the impact of the Intestate Succession Law, PNDC Law 111, on society since its promulgation in 1985.

The Workshop would be organised by the Volta Regional House of Chiefs in collaboration with the German Development Cooperation (GTZ) Legal Pluralism and Gender pilot Project.

A release issued by the GTZ said the Workshop would address the inadequacies of the law in view of the continuing suffering of women, especially, after the death of their spouses.

It said the workshop would collate suggestions of Chiefs and other traditional authorities on the issue toward an improved management of succession matters in the country. The release said chiefs should have a role to play in the design and implementation of laws that seek to change people's traditional way of doing things.

The workshop would also discuss the law on the registration of customary marriages. Some of the issues to be discussed include "Promoting the registration of customary marriages- Problems and strategies" and "Promoting the enforcement of the Intestate Succession Law in the Volta Region".

Resource persons expected include Professor Akua Kuenyehia, Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Ghana and Mrs Hilary Gbedemah, also a Legal Practitioner and a gender equality campaigner in Ho.