Jun 01, 2017 the minister for chieftaincy and religious affairs, mr. It was in an effort to solve this problem that an ordinance, chieftaincy disputes preclusion of courts ordinance was promulgated. It was to exclude chieftaincy cases from the courts and consequently prevent the activities of lawyers in chieftaincy disputes. Impact of chieftaincy conflict on the economic status of. Ghana may be regarded as an oasis of stability in a region ravaged by strife. Ray 1998 sees the legitimacy of political succession as the major cause of chieftaincy disputes in ghana. Four dead as chieftaincy dispute erupts in violence.
The government of ghana needs to strengthen the public sector 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 institutions arbitration. Using the bawku chieftaincy dispute as a case study, this book has shown that chieftaincy disputes in ghana have negative sociopoliticoeconomic consequences on the ghanaian society. A case study of ga mashie chieftaincy conflict under the fourth republic by paul acheampong boakye a thesis submitted to the faculty of graduate studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of master of arts graduate program in political science calgary, alberta august, 2016. 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. One of such challenges is the numerous chieftaincy disputes across the country, of which many result in violent or bloody conflicts. The main objective of the study was to map conflict zones in ghana with northern ghana as the case for this phase. The ongoing chieftaincy dispute in bimbilla, in northern ghana, is between two princes from the same gate, each claiming to have been enskinned by the appropriate authority, as a bimbilla naa, overlord of the nanumba people. The chieftaincy institution has endured from precolonial to postindependence periods in ghana. In order to do so, cooperate closely with civil society organizations in each region, harness their. Samuel kofi dzamesi, has expressed concern about the high number of unresolved chieftaincy disputes. 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. Ghana in the colonial time was the great number of chieftaincy disputes stool or skin disputes.
This paper, therefore, examines the role of the courts in chieftaincy dispute resolution. Violent conflicts in africa impair development programmes and are largely responsible for the underdevelopment of large sections of the population in west africa tonah 2005. Search for solutions, stakeholders and way forward political violence is also a common phenomenon in ghana. Actors there are many actors involved in the conflict resolution process. Other causes are chieftaincy problems, unemployment, default in rent payment to the administrator of stool lands, lack of sensitisation programmes for tenants. Dec 24, 2010 some causes of chieftaincy disputes are. Pdf the role of chieftaincy institutions in dispute. This paper is based on empirical analysis of the dynamics of royalty and how it relates to eligibility and succession as an emerging pattern of chieftaincy succession disputes in wungu, in northern ghana.
It also examines how the chieftaincy institution changed through time. He also, however, acknowledges that the custom of rotating the chieftaincy office amongst the several subunits called gates of the royal group can lead to disputes. A requirement for stable and strong chieftaincy in ghana by naa prof. The politicisation of a chieftaincy conflict 5 for chieftaincy titles amongst ghanas new elite since the 1970s. Factors for peaceful and orderly succession of chieftaincy.
The chieftaincy institution is labeled as controversial due to the numerous chieftaincy disputes in the country. There are about twelve sections in this course and they include. The northern region, in particular has witnessed protracted. Although ghana enjoys considerable peace compared to cote divoire, liberia, sierra leone and others, it is venerable to intermittent communal violence as well as ethnic and chieftaincy conflicts. The chieftaincy institution has been bedeviled with numerous conflicts. He indicated that nationwide there were a total of 352 such disputes. The minister for chieftaincy and religious affairs, mr. Case of a chieftaincy succession in ghana abstract 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. Causes of chieftaincy disputes in africa and how to deal.
The aim of this study is to analyse the dynamics of dagbon chieftaincy conflict in northern ghana and to examine how rwandans gacaca conflict resolution strategy could serve as a reference point for sustainable peace in dagbon. The politicisation of a chieftaincy conflict 5 for chieftaincy titles amongst ghana s new elite since the 1970s. Pdf the effects of chieftaincy and land conflicts on the. However, there were no indications of the role of theory in explaining how the outcomes of the resoluti on processes proved that the. Interethnic conflicts and their impact on national. This point can be contested because it was not all parts of the gold coast that were ruled by. Mphil candidate, institute for development studies, university of cape coast, ghana. When two families are claiming the right to a stool or a skin. Generally, chieftaincy disputes erupt when there are two or more rival claimants to a vacant skin, the symbols of kingship or chieftaincy in the northern traditional states and stool in southern ghana respectively brukum, 2004. Chieftaincy institutions particularly in northern ghana is perceived as male institution. Apr 20, 2018 members of the national house of chiefs nhc, have expressed grave concern about the increasing interference of politicians in chieftaincy matters. This is in tradition where there are multiple royal families to inherit the throne.
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. What are the causes of chieftaincy dispute in ghana answers. The community head or chief was a rallying point for his people and he led them in times of war and difficulties. Effects of the wa chieftaincy conflict politics essay. Overview of chieftaincy, categories of chiefs, chieftaincy and colonialism, chieftaincy and religion, chieftaincy and modern governance, chiefs and development. Example is the fighting between the andani and abudu clans in the dagbon traditional area and the recent chieftaincy skirmishes.
Seini and tsikata again 2004 write that political violence between supporters of different political parties predates independence and has become part of the political scene since the anticolonial struggle. It is argued that chieftaincy disputes and ethnic conflicts in the northern part of the country ghana are partly to blame for the. In northern ghana, most of the causes of chieftaincy disputes are linked with royalty and legibility to contest a particular skin. Article 270 2b of the 1992 constitution reiterates state support for the chieftaincy institution. The history of chieftaincy can be traced to the africans in the gold coast brobbey, 2008, p. Northern ghana is riddled with conflicts over ethnicity and land ownership as well as over who has rights to assume certain chieftaincies. In traditions where chieftaincy runs through multiple families there is likely to be a chieftaincy disputes that will arise between the families. The role of the court in chieftaincy dispute resolution in. Accra, 2 november 2007 irin four people were killed on 1 november in ghanas volta region when violence erupted in a longstanding. According to him, some of the disputes had cost the region many lives and property and had been a drain on public funds. Causes of chieftaincy disputes in africa and how to deal with. 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. They said the phenomenon, which had assumed alarming proportions in recent times was fuelling the escalation of chieftaincy disputes in many parts of the country. Constitution of ghana recognizes the institution of chieftaincy within its statutory.
Most notable is the unresolved dagbon conflict that erupted in 2002 in the northern town of yendi when the paramount chief of the dagbon ethnic group was. Chieftaincy disputes stall dev in western region modern ghana. The aim of this study is to analyse the dynamics of dagbon chieftaincy conflict in northern ghana and to examine how rwandans. Analyze the spatiotemporal dynamics of conflicts 2. Sutton 1984 argues that almost the sole preoccupation of the department of native affairs was with disputes of chieftaincy nature, and the native affairs in the gold coast was almost by definition chieftaincy disputes. Pay close attention to latent conflicts embedded in chieftaincy, party politics, land disputes and other causes of instability in southern ghana as well. The research also hypothesises that the chieftaincy conflict has negatively affected the socioeconomic development of the bawku east municipality. The politicization and manipulation of traditional chieftaincy which begun under colonial rule was increased by military and civilian regimes in independent ghana and nigeria. House of chiefs worried about political interference in. More striking is that the number of scholarly analysis of ethnic conflicts in northern regions has focused more on dagomba chieftaincy conflicts. Land disputes and litigation graphic online ghana news. Corruption is the main cause of chieftaincy disputes in ghana. Overview of chieftaincy, categories of chiefs, chieftaincy and colonialism, chieftaincy and religion, chieftaincy and.
Ghana has more than 230 chieftaincy disputes dotted across many parts of the. At the state level regionstowns the chieftaincy chief is the key institution for conflict resolution. Members of the national house of chiefs nhc, have expressed grave concern about the increasing interference of politicians in chieftaincy matters. Oct 20, 2018 20181020 chieftaincy, the rich traditional leadership in ghana is losing its respect and image in the country because of numerous and rampant disputes within the institution. But the country faces a host of bitter ethnic and chieftaincy conflicts, especially in its three northern regions. Chieftaincy which revolves around ethnicity is generally considered as one of the major source of conflict in ghana. Chieftaincy institutions particularly in northern ghana is. 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. However, the chieftaincy institution in ghana suffers from many challenges. It is argued that chieftaincy disputes and ethnic conflicts in the northern part.
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