By Anthony Adongo Apubeo
Bolgatanga, Feb.16, GNA–Stakeholders have called for urgent steps to explicitly define, codify, and document the status, roles, and path of enskinment of Queenmothers to prevent foreseen conflicts.
Unlike before, the idea of ‘Queenmothership’ is emerging at a fast pace and taking root in many Ghanaian traditional councils but their status, responsibilities, how they are selected, and line of succession is still unclear to many.
This, the stakeholders believed, if nothing was done could create problems in the future and lead to several preventable conflicts, especially in Northern Ghana where the Queen Mother institution seemed to be a new area.
The stakeholders including Queenmothers, National Peace Council and Civil Society Organisations among others advocated this at a forum in Bolgatanga organised for Queenmothers by the Navrongo-Bolgatanga Catholic Diocesan Development Organisation (NABOCADO), a development wing of the Catholic Diocese of Navrongo-Bolgatanga.
The forum formed part of the Integrated Peacebuilding for Improved Food and Nutrition Support (INPEACE) project, funded by MISEREOR, a German Catholic Church Organisation, aimed at contributing to building peace structures at the community, district and regional levels in Upper East and North East Regions.
Dr Joseph Ayembilla, the Human Development Coordinator, NABOCADO, explained that there was the need to integrate the Queenmothers institution into the traditional governance system to promote development, especially women’s rights and needs, however, it must be done in a manner that would prevent conflicts in the future.
He explained that most traditional councils particularly those in Northern Ghana had no clear and documented succession plans for the male Chieftaincy setup and the situation had created numerous communal conflicts.
Dr Ayembilla was of the opinion that if urgent steps were not taken to document and clearly spell out the roles, status, path of enskinment and plan of succession according to the customs and traditions of the areas taking into consideration the Constitution of the country, it could present similar problems in the future.
“If these things are not properly documented, there is the opportunity that in future people are going to claim and counterclaim and that is going to bring more conflicts to the already existing conflicts which would retard development.”
The Human Development Coordinator explained that in the years past the traditional systems in Northern Ghana had the ‘magazias’ (women leaders) which was acceptable to the people and underscored the need to create awareness about the role of the Queenmothers and clear succession plans to deepen peaceful coexistence.
“Our traditional leaders should try as much as possible to look beyond the current into the future and agree with their regional house of chiefs to do documentation on succession plans for the chiefs and Queenmothers to ensure acceptability,” he said.
Dr Joseph Bangu, the Director of Good Governance, Justice, and Peace Directorate, NABOCADO, said the forum was to engage the Queenmothers to understand their roles and build their capacity to act as peacebuilders instead of promoters of conflict.
“As a Diocese, we feel that if we don’t engage the Queenmothers properly now, then, the experiences we are having with undocumented chieftaincy issues would come up,” he said.
Mr Ali Anankpieng, the Executive Secretary of the Upper East Regional Peace Council, explained that during conflicts, women and children were the most affected and underscored the need for Queenmothers to play a crucial role in maintaining peace and resolving conflicts.
Pognaba Malsungu-Tumpaale Ayamga I, the President of the Upper East Regional Queenmothers Association, noted that queenmothers had the potential to contribute meaningfully to the development of their traditional areas but called for documented strategies to prevent future conflicts in the future.
GNA