By Dennis Peprah, GNA
Sunyani (Bono), Jan. 29, GNA – Concerned stakeholders have appealed to the Ministry of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs to facilitate the codification of chieftaincy enstoolment procedures as a critical measure to curb the rising cases of succession disputes in the country.
About 200 participants who issued a communique at the end of a one‑day consultative dialogue in Sunyani, said codifying the procedures would provide clarity and enhance peaceful transitions in traditional leadership.
The communique also called on the Bono Regional House of Chiefs to expedite the adjudication of succession disputes currently before it, noting that timely resolution was vital for safeguarding peace, supporting development and reducing pressure on national security.
Organised by the Bono Regional Secretariat of the National Peace Council (NPC), the dialogue brought together chiefs and queen mothers from the 19 Traditional Councils, as well as representatives from the security services, to reflect on the persistent challenges associated with chieftaincy succession in the region.
Signed by Alhaji Suallah Abdallah Quandah, the Bono Regional Executive Secretary of the NPC, the communique urged royal families to prioritise Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanisms in handling succession disagreements.
It observed that adjudication often prolonged disputes, hardened positions and rarely led to reconciliation.
The dialogue explored the underlying causes of succession conflicts, how they escalate, and the actions communities, traditional authorities and peace actors could take to prevent and manage them peacefully.
The communique expressed concern that nearly all traditional councils in the region had, at some point, been confronted with succession disputes.
Such disputes, it noted, disrupt peace, destabilise local governance structures and impede development.
It attributed the recurring disputes to challenges arising at each stage of the nomination, selection and enstoolment processes.
These disagreements often evolve into entrenched conflicts due to perceived incompatible interests, even though disputing parties remain interdependent within their traditional areas.
Among the key causes cited were the absence of codified succession procedures, increasing numbers of royals, competition for control of resources, selfishness, greed, politicisation of chieftaincy positions, historical grievances, external interference, contested lineages, multiple enstoolments and lack of transparency.
The communique warned that chieftaincy succession disputes threaten peace and security, slow development, undermine good governance, create social division and burden the public purse.
GNA
Edited by Lydia Kukua Asamoah