The Bono Regional Executive Secretary of the National Peace Council (NPC), Alhaji Suallah Abdallah Quandah, has appealed to traditional authorities in the region to help in addressing the increasing cases of chieftaincy disputes to ensure social cohesion.
Alhaji Quandah made the appeal at the opening of a stakeholders’ dialogue on chieftaincy and land disputes in Sunyani, on the theme: “Managing and Resolving Chieftaincy and Land Disputes through Dialogue and Consensus Building.”
The dialogue was organised by the NPC, in honour of the late Paramount Queenmother of the Sunyani Traditional Area, Nana Yaa Nyamaa Poduo II.
It was attended by Chiefs and Queens, representatives of the Christian Council of Churches, Islamic Clerics and District/Municipal Chief Executives.
Alhaji Quandah said because some of the feuding factions have taken entrenched positions it makes resolutions very difficult and subsequently threaten the peace of the region.
He pointed out that nine out of the 17 paramountcies in the region are currently battling with chieftaincy disputes, which require urgent resolution to ensure peace for development, he said.
“We are trying our best to resolve these disputes, but our efforts seem meaningless because some of the Chiefs and Queens have taken entrenched positions,” Alhaji Quandah said.
According to him, “lack of codified succession procedures, and the desire to control resources increased royalties and positional blindness,” which are some of the factors fueling chieftaincy disputes in the region.
The Paramount Chief of the Dwenem-Awasu Traditional Area in the Jaman South municipality, Nana Bofo Bene IV, was worried that chieftaincy and land disputes have over the years have exposed the chieftaincy institution to public ridicule and disrepute.
He, therefore, appealed to the feuding factions in the disputed paramountcies to bury their differences and cooperate with the relevant stakeholders to build peaceful communities.
The Bono Regional Minister, Madam Justina Owusu-Banahene, acknowledged the contributions of traditional leaders in promoting socio-cultural values and sustainable development and hoped that the NPC would do more to resolve disputes that threaten peace in the region.
She noted that peace building and sustenance are shared and collective responsibility, hence the need for everybody to support in that direction.
