The Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Ahmed Ibrahim, has called on traditional leaders in the Greater Accra Region to work closely with the government to end recurring chieftaincy disputes and promote peaceful local development.
Speaking at an emergency meeting with members of the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs in Dodowa, the Minister described the recent merger of his ministry with the Ministry of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs as a bold step by the government to strengthen coordination between traditional authorities and local governance institutions.
“The merger of the Ministry for Local Government with the Ministry of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs is one of the government’s most strategic public sector reforms in recent times. His Excellency the President decided this under his reset agenda, and this is to reflect a vision to promote coordination and to terminate administrative overlaps and also to strengthen integration between traditional leadership and the modern local governance system,” he said
Mr Ibrahim also indicated that the region has recorded six chieftaincy-related violent incidents in recent times, resulting in eight deaths, with Teshie and Sowutuom accounting for the highest casualties and appealed to chiefs to help resolve disputes amicably to safeguard peace and unity.
“The Greater Accra region remains one of the most affected by chieftaincy disputes. In recent times, six incidents of chieftaincy-related violence have been recorded, resulting in the loss of eight lives. I therefore appeal to you, our esteemed community leaders join hands with the government to find a lasting solution to this chieftaincy conflict together, we can preserve peace, protect life and property,” he added
He also reaffirmed the government’s commitment to supporting traditional councils through capacity building, legislative review, and logistical resourcing and added that the Ministry will empower chiefs to lead community clean-up exercises under the re-launched National Sanitation Day initiative to sustain a culture of cleanliness and civic responsibility.