KAS Ghana holds inaugural joint meeting for paramount chiefs, queen mothers

The Konrad Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) Ghana Office, as part of its 60th Anniversary celebrations, has held an inaugural joint meeting for Paramount Chiefs and Queen Mothers in the Bono and Bono East regions. The meeting, held in Sunyani, was on the theme, “Traditional Authorities in Ghana: Chiefs and Queen Mothers in Peacebuilding and Development.” It focused on equipping traditional authorities with a stronger voice in modern governance, development and conflict resolution. The Programme Director of KAS Ghana, Dr Joseph Darmoe, in his address, touched on the alarming rise in chieftaincy and land disputes in the two regions. “Let me be direct. As of 2025, the Bono East Regional House of Chiefs alone had more than 40 outstanding chieftaincy and land disputes on its books. “The Regional Peace Council sat with traditional councils for the same reason, working through how succession disputes weaken chieftaincy authority, strain communities and stall the very development every district is asking for. “Peace is not a by-product of development. It is the condition for it. No investor commits to a district where the boundaries of a stool are contested,” he added. Osagyefo Oseadeeyo Agyeman Badu II, Omanhene of the Dormaa Traditional Area and President of the Bono Regional House of Chiefs, disclosed that chieftaincy disputes in the Bono Region are on the increase due to delays in the adjudication of cases by the judicial system. “Some cases have taken over 20 to 25 years without adjudication, making others take advantage of the situation. “Our traditional authorities do not have the time, and they are not given the financial resources to adjudicate cases at the Regional House of Chiefs. “Even though the government has increased the stipends for chiefs, resources are not provided for the settlement of cases,” he stated. In his presentation as one of the facilitators for the forum, Alfred Tuah-Yeboah, Esq, a former Deputy Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, identified disputes over succession, as well as prolonged processes of nomination, installation, legitimacy and recognition, as some of the major challenges associated with chieftaincy disputes in Ghana. Source: Esther Abanga, Contributor
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