Vice President of the Republic of Ghana and flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia, has promised to amend the Chieftaincy Act if elected as the next President of Ghana Accra to strengthen the role of traditional authorities in governance, the
Speaking at a campaign event during his Bono East campaign tour at Techima, Dr. Bawumia stated that the current Chieftaincy Act does not adequately empower chiefs and does not involve them actively in the governance process.
He believes that chiefs, as the custodians of traditional authority, should have a more prominent role in decision-making and the implementation of policies that affect their communities.
“I will amend the section 63 (d) of the chieftaincy act to give more powers to the chiefs that will help government and all of us, because you have been able to settle a lot cases in your palaces without coming to the normal court but once we amend the section 63, we will be able to help you with financial resources for you to be able to help government.
“My manifesto committee on chieftaincy is coming out with a new recommendations where we will increase the allowances to chiefs, and we won’t pay only the paramount chiefs but queen mothers and divisional chiefs because we have to help the whole system to get the benefit from the chief.” He said
According the him, chiefs are the bedrock of our society, and they deserve to have the power and influence they rightfully deserve.
Dr. Bawumia is of the view that, the amendment of the section 63 (D) of the Chieftaincy Act will ensure that chiefs are actively involved in the governance of the country, and their voices will be heard at the highest levels of decision-making.
Dr. Bawumia said, “if you summon someone to your palace and they refuse to honor it, you don’t have the powers but you must have the powers to force people to honor your summons.
“On the mining sector, we want to change the whole architect, we want to formalize small scale where chiefs will be central in the district mining committees.”
The proposed amendments to the Chieftaincy Act are expected to grant chiefs more decision-making powers, particularly in areas such as land management, dispute resolution, and the implementation of development projects within their traditional areas.
Source: Elvisanokyenews.com
