Wa, April 20, GNA – Dr. Hafiz Bin Salih, the Upper West Regional Minister has urged traditional rulers to be development oriented.
They should also support the government’s development efforts to improve the socio-economic well-being of the people.
Dr Bin Salih urged the traditional rulers to identify the development needs of the people and source funding to execute them.
Besides, they should encourage the people to initiate development projects to supplement government’s programmes.
Dr. Bin Salih gave the advice during the second general meeting of the Upper West Regional House of Chiefs in Wa.
The event which was used to swear into the House the newly enkinned Nandom-Naa, Naa Professor Nminyem Edmund Delle Chiir VIII.
Dr Bin Salih told the Chiefs that the region has great economic potentials but investors were afraid because of the potentially volatile nature of the area.
“We must therefore work together to create a peaceful environment to make the region attractive to investors by championing programmes to sustain the peace and orderly development of the region”, he said.
Dr. Bin Salih notified the chiefs that chieftaincy and land disputes caused havoc and social unrest and disturbed the collective peace as well as progress and development in the affected areas.
He encouraged traditional authorities to use their leadership positions to mitigate and resolve disputes involving sucession to skins in the communities, as well as review harmful practices, which affect the people, particularly women.
The Regional Minister urged traditional rulers to explore their reconciliatory mechanisms and practices such as festivals and purification rites for the resolution of conflicts within their areas.
He commended the House for expediting the process of the successful enskinment of the Nandom-Naa and appealed to the people of Nandom Traditional Area to put away all their differences and support Naa Professor Nminyem Edmund Delle Chiir to bring the needed development to the area.
He also urged the feuding factions in the Walembelle Chieftaincy disputes, which had been disposed off to bury their differences and come together to allow peace to prevail in the community for national development.
“Let me urge all other skins under dispute, to as a matter of urgency follow the due process to enskin a new chief to ensure lasting peace to propel the development of their traditional areas”, he advised.
He said kingmakers in the region should also take immediate steps to fill the vacant skins to eliminate imminent disputes over the inheritance of the skins.
The Regional Minister said many of the chieftaincy disputes were because of delays in filling the vacant positions.
GNA