This sprawling collection of essays, originally assembled for a conference in accra funded by the ford foundation, provides a fascinating, albeit uneven, look at the contemporary issues facing the institution of chiefs in ghana. The role of chieftaincy in ghana iarticle 277 of the 1992 constitution of ghana defines a chief as a person, who, hailing from the appropriate family and lineage, has been. This research work attempts to explore how the chieftaincy institution in ghana assists in conflict resolution, why it has not been able to perform its conflict resolution roles as expected, and how best its functions can be improved. Chieftaincy and state relations in ghana since independence 51 of 15 members. The main concern of this paper is to find out if indeed religion african. A religiocultural dilemma facing ghanaian christianity george sundagar moses wee george sundagar moses wee holds m. Ghana has more than 230 chieftaincy disputes dotted across many parts of the country. Ministry of chieftaincy and religious affairs ghana.
Origin of chieftaincy in ghana in the main, chieftaincy in ghana originated from three sources abotchie in odotei and. It also examines how the chieftaincy institution changed through time. Pdf on aug 5, 2018, vincent assanful and others published. Degree in religious studies from the university of cape coast and mba from ghana institute of management and public administration gimpa. Core functions the core functions of the ministry of chieftaincy and religious affairs are to. Moreover, the era of multiparty politics in ghana has made. Largescale land acquisition in africa has been the concern and the focus of growing global literature on land grabbing. Act 759 chieftaincy act, 2008 3 a person aggrieved by a judgment or an order given or made by a traditional council in a cause or matter affecting chieftaincy may. Since independence, chiefs have lost virtually all the. The gsgda ii contains one policy objective that is relevant to the ministry of chieftaincy and religious affairs.
Aug 18, 2015 in precolonial times, chieftaincy constituted the axis for the exercise of executive, legislative and judicial powers. Chieftaincy plays a key role in local governance news ghana. The role of traditional institutions in political change and. The goal of the ministry is to harness, develop and maximize the utilization of chieftaincy and traditional assets and values to serve as a basis for wealth creation and sociocultural empowerment. Chieftaincy definition of chieftaincy by the free dictionary. The institution is so close to the hearts of people and useful as an instrument of. Since the colonial era, the institution has been linked to ghanaian. A qualitative study of chieftaincy and local government in. Chieftaincy is one of the oldest and highly cherished institutions in ghana.
Chieftaincy institutions particularly in northern ghana is perceived as male institution. The leader or head of a group, especially of a clan or tribe. The chieftaincy institution is one of the oldest cultural and political heritages in africa. Chieftaincy in ghana emerged from the social fabric of the land. Even though ghana is characterized more by a condition of stable peace than by conflict hughes 2003.
In ghana the chieftaincy institution is an important ally of the state in ensuring devel. Succession in chieftaincy, chieftaincy and natural resource management, gender and chieftaincy, chieftaincy and customary law and the changing phases of chieftaincy. The northern region of ghana and its capital tamale are indicated on the attached map of ghana ghana administrative divisions 2007, perrycastaneda library map. The author gives an account of the indigenous language patterns of the different ethnic groups, their social customs and distinctive customs. In precolonial times, chieftaincy constituted the axis for the exercise of executive, legislative and judicial powers. Friedrichebertstiftung ghana, november 2010 district assemblies in ghana a guide to district assemblies in ghana a guide to. The government of ghana needs to strengthen the public sector land institutions and put in place stronger and binding mechanisms for resolving disputes arising from largescale acquisitions of land to cushion the effect of the weakening confidence in the chieftaincy institution. In order to do so, cooperate closely with civil society organizations in each region, harness their. Pdf chieftaincy institutions and land tenure security. In the view of kendie and bukari 2012, ghana has often been described internationally as one of the most stable, democratic and.
He has a first degree in engineering and holds a diploma in marketing. Among many human societies, the paramount reasons for. Initiate, formulate and ensure the efficient and effective implementation of policies. Brempong 2001 was one of the first to highlight this phenomenon by indicating that many paramount chiefs in ashanti are high level professionals or university graduates. He was a former minister of the volta region under the government of president kufuor, and is national council member of the npp. The paper delineates what is seen as key challenges to the chieftaincy institution in ghana. Jun 01, 2017 the minister for chieftaincy and religious affairs, mr. Amongst the akan peoples of southern ghana, for instance. Chieftaincy and rural development in ghana since independence. Chieftaincy disputes are the misunderstanding, that occurs between two or more fractions on the enstoolment or enskinment of a chief or the misunderstanding between an incumbent chief and some of his subjects. Amongst the akan peoples of southern ghana, for instance, the asantehene was once the ruler of an empire which dominated most of southern ghana and its eastern and western borderlands. Furthermore, the paper argues that chieftaincy in ghana is the custodian of customary values and norms, one of the few resilient institutions that have survived all the three phases of ghanas political history. In precolonial times, leadership was the axis of executive, legislative and judicial powers. Reinventing african chieftaincy in the age of aids, gender, governance, and development calgary.
These 15 members comprised eight exofficio members, four elected members, and three specially elected members. The aim of this study is to analyse the dynamics of dagbon chieftaincy conflict in northern ghana and to examine how rwandans. Kofi akosahsarpong features that a ministry of chieftancy will not only correct many an history wrongs but also help open up ghanas development process despite what some critics fear of its politicisation of the chieftaincy institution now the long quest was ending after centuries of marginalization in the development process by both the colonialists and ghanaian goverments. The role of traditional institutions in political change and development. Hidden under the issues of chieftaincy and title for land are deep resentments based on perceptions of economic and political inequalities, social and cultural prejudices, and competition for limited resources. Samuel kofi dzamesi, has expressed concern about the high number of unresolved chieftaincy disputes. Overview of chieftaincy, categories of chiefs, chieftaincy and colonialism, chieftaincy and religion, chieftaincy and modern governance, chiefs and development. The case of dagbon chieftaincy conflict, ghana abdul karim issifu joseph jnr.
As part of the format, lead and collaborating agencies for the implementation of. The larger and more hierarchical ethnic groups had traditional rulers long before british colonialism, and the british found it useful to generalize and support the. When the republic of ghana was founded in 1957, it was agreed that the chieftaincy system should be. In some african societies, chieftaincy the precolonial institution of. The role of chieftaincy in ghana iarticle 277 of the 1992 constitution of ghana defines a chief as a person, who, hailing from the appropriate family and lineage, has been validly nominated, elected or selected and enstooled, enskinned or installed as a chief or queen mother in accordance with the relevant customary law and usage. The 1992 constitution of the republic of ghana and chieftaincy act 2008, act 759 maintained the house. Ghana, development brokers, development aid, chieftaincy, contemporary history. Ghana is often seen as peaceful, but is faced with many chieftaincy conflicts that result mainly from succession to the throne skin or stool for traditional political power. The northern region of ghana and its capital tamale are indicated on the attached map of ghana ghana administrative divisions 2007, perrycastaneda library map collection, university of texas website. Impact of chieftaincy conflict on the economic status of. The institution of chieftaincy, as a traditional leadership system among ethnic groups in ghana, is one of the revered customary legacies that survived colonial past and present independent political dispensation. Our traditions are modern, our modernities traditional. Oseadeeyo addo dankwa iii 2004 and abotchie 2006 observe that the institution of chieftaincy in ghana emerged from peoples need to come together for security or protection and to have a figurehead to look up to for guidance and inspiration. The role of traditional institutions in political change.
Pdf based on extensive research in primary and secondary sources and on field research in ghana, including more than 40 interviews, and. Challenges of the collaboration between formal local. The paramount chief had a position which can be compared to that of an absolutist king. Examining the position of the chieftaincy institution in. He indicated that nationwide there were a total of 352 such disputes. Because chieftaincy is also closely associated with custodianship of land, the dispute about who is the rightful occupant of the chiefly office is ultimately linked to disputes over control over resources like land, water, etc. Ghanas political system combines competitive elections with what social scientists have called neo patrimonial rule.
Chieftaincy as an important social institution which binds the people together is fraught with numerous disputes. Chieftaincy act, 2008 act 759 food and agriculture. A major development, however, as pointed out by hagan 2006 is the numerous conflicts associated with the chieftaincy institution. The ghana civil service included the local government service until it was decoupled from the civil service by the passage of the local government act, 2016 act 936 to strengthen the concept of decentralisation in ghana. Challenges of the collaboration between formal local government actors and the chieftaincy institution in ghana. Challenges, responses and the potential for reform technical report pdf available january 2008 with 359 reads how we measure reads. There are about twelve sections in this course and they include. Apart from the constitutional guarantee, chieftaincy also has a tremendous effect on the political economy of ghana and influences industrial development, agricultural productivity, and the construction industry. Awedoba abstract this is a detailed survey of the sociodemographic patterns of the peoples who inhabit the northern half of ghana. The politicisation of a chieftaincy conflict 5 for chieftaincy titles amongst ghanas new elite since the 1970s. Akan chieftaincy ghana encyclopedia article citizendium.
Ministry of chieftaincy and religious affairs ministry of finance. Historical challenges in the form of colonial attempts to sidestep the institution and the attempts by the immediate post independence governments to subjugate and divest them of their economic strength through drastic laws, never cowed the institution. A qualitative study of chieftaincy and local government in ghana kwame asamoah university of ghana business school, legonaccra, ghana. The ghana news agency gna was established on march 5, 1957, i.
When the republic of ghana was founded in 1957, it was agreed that the chieftaincy system should be respected. Chieftaincy which revolves around ethnicity is generally considered as one of the major source of conflict in ghana. During the euphoric 1950s and 1960s, when expectations of modernity were rife,6. Colonial, civilian or military have in one way or the other tried to influence the role of chiefs in political affairs. Asante mphil students, institute for development studies, university of cape coastghana abstract.
Pdf chieftaincy and the attainment of sustainable development. The general objective of this course is to introduce students to chieftaincy since very few people are conversant with the internal workings of that institution. Pdf the role of chieftaincy institutions in dispute. When the akan were settling in the tekyiman region, in the period before 0, they had already long used the chieftaincy system. Chieftaincy in ghana chieftaincy is one of ghana and africas enduring cultural heritage and institution, which is deeply rooted in the ethnicity of ghanaian tribes. Mphil candidate, institute for development studies, university of cape coast, ghana. Ghanas political system combines competitive elections with what social scientists have called neopatrimonial rule.
Despite the changing influence of chiefs in ghana, over 80% of land is. In ghana, chieftaincy institutions act as custodians for about 80% of the total land area, and are responsible for leasing or allocating land while official planning institutions determine and. Official portal for chiefs, african traditional governance and leadership. The chieftaincy institution in ghana has been rocked by several conflicts due to land litigation, political polarization along gate lines and over succession to the chicfship position.
Please provide information on the possibility of relocation in ghana. When the akan were settling in the tekyiman region, i. Chieftaincy and traditional assets and values to serve as a basis for wealth creation and sociocultural empowerment. The paramount chief held a position that can be compared to that of an absolutist king. Though chieftaincy conflicts occur in all parts of the country, those that have been accompanied. The national house of chiefs was established in 1969 under article 154 of the 1969 constitution. Challenges and prospects in the 21st century the paper delineates what is seen as key challenges to the chieftaincy. The instrument covering the establishment of the house was enacted on the 17th september, 1971, that is the chieftaincy act 1971 act 370. The upswing in biofuel investments in ghana led to largescale land acquisitions by the private sector presided over by chiefs. In ghana, this position is guaranteed under the fourth republican constitution 1992. Culture, governance and development, edited by irene k.
Africa, chieftaincy, colonialism, ghana, hybridity, legal pluralism, state. Historical and political underpinnings of the dagbon chieftaincy conflict make it tougher and complicated to understand. The institution is so close to the hearts of people and useful as an instrument of government that governments since independence have scrupulously avoided any unwarranted interference with it and have either left it alone or provided specifically for its existence. Pay close attention to latent conflicts embedded in chieftaincy, party politics, land disputes and other causes of instability in southern ghana as well. The case of dagbon chieftaincy conflict, ghana 4 consequently, impartial king makers deskinned mahamaduabudulai v to allow mion lana andani from andani gate to be enskinned as the ya na. However, the bulsa traditional area buluk of ghana has had a stable and resilient chieftaincy succession despite conflicts arising. Politics, chieftaincy and customary law in ghanas fourth. Apr 26, 2006 20060426 otumfuor nana osei tutu ii, a role model for african chiefs i article 277 of the 1992 constitution of ghana defines. Pdf religion and chieftaincy in ghana researchgate. Chiefs continue to hold a symbolic cultural role in most african countries, but we. The ghanaian chieftaincy is nobodys creation and therefore cannot be easily destroyed. In an indepth interview with emmanuel bombande, executive director of the conflict resolution think tank west african peace building network, irin looks at why northern ghana has been blighted by a spate of violent chieftaincy disputes, and what risks this poses to. Public relations office new building, ground floor.
Since the colonial era, the institution has been linked to the politics of ghana. Finally, the way forward will be discussed and some conclusions drawn. The role of traditional institutions in political change and development policy briefings on drivers of change in ghana 4. Accepted 17 february, 2012 it is widely argued that chiefs do not play any meaningful role in local government in ghana as they. Chieftaincy and religious affairs 31 ii 2019 budget estimates to purchase copies of the statement, please contact the public relations office of the ministry ministry of finance public relations office new building, ground floor, room 001 and 003 p. In ghana 80 percent of land is under the control of chiefs, with government in possession of 10 percent for public development. The chieftaincy institution in ghana is a system that structures and regulates the activity of local chieftains or monarchs in the ghanaian society and state. Chieftaincy in ghana, like in other african countries, arose out of a need for leadership. Constitution of ghana recognizes the institution of chieftaincy within its statutory. Of ghana entitled chieftaincy act, 2008 anact to revise and consolidate the chieftaincy act, 1971act 370 to bring its provisions in conformity with the constitution and to provide for related matters.
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