The Omanhene of the Dormaa Traditional Area and President of the Bono Regional House of Chiefs, Osagyefo Oseadeeyo Agyeman Badu II, has expressed concern over delays in the adjudication of chieftaincy cases, blaming the situation for the increasing number of disputes in the Bono and Bono East regions.
He said some chieftaincy cases had remained unresolved for between 20 and 25 years, creating opportunities for individuals to take advantage of the delays in the traditional justice system.
Osagyefo Agyeman Badu II raised the concern in Sunyani at the inaugural joint meeting of Paramount Chiefs and Paramount Queen Mothers from the Bono and Bono East regions, organised by the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) Ghana Office.
“Some cases have taken over 20 to 25 years without adjudication, making others take advantage of the situation,” he said.
He attributed the delays partly to inadequate resources available to traditional authorities to adjudicate cases at the Regional House of Chiefs.
“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.
Peace Critical to Development
Programme Director of KAS Ghana, Dr Joseph Darmoe, underscored the importance of peace and stability to the socio-economic development of the two regions.
He noted that prolonged traditional conflicts could undermine development and discourage investment, stressing that peaceful communities were better positioned to attract investors and create employment opportunities.
“In all instances, when a chief or queen mother ascends their respective throne after years of protracted conflicts, their first public pledge is mostly not about the stool at all — it is about value addition to cashew, maize, yam, and the jobs that follow when investors trust an area enough to build there. That pledge is appropriate because the peace came first,” he said.
Dr Darmoe called for stronger collaboration among traditional leaders to accelerate development in their respective jurisdictions.
“So my hope for today is practical: that the development of the region, jointly spearheaded by the traditional owners of the space, continues aggressively and in harmony from here,” he added.
Strengthen Role of Chiefs
Prof. Agyeman-Duah, a former Senior Governance Advisor to the United Nations, also called on the government to strengthen the role of traditional authorities in Ghana’s governance system.
“The role of chiefs must be enhanced. Conflict resolution mechanisms must be made effective,” he said.
The meeting, held under the theme, “Traditional Authorities in Ghana: Chiefs and Queen Mothers in Peace Building and Development,” focused on strengthening the role and voice of traditional authorities in modern governance, development and conflict resolution.
