By Richard Kofi Attenkah
The Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs, last Wednesday, organised a one-day training workshop for traditional leaders, including chiefs, queenmothers, asafoatsemei, mankralos, and chief fishermen among others in the Tema Traditional Area.
The one-day training workshop, which took the traditional leaders through the processes of enstoolment and destoolment of chiefs in Ghana, was also used to educate them on the ins and outs of the chieftaincy institution.
Similar workshop would be organised for all the 12 traditional areas within the region in the next one month, to enable the traditional leaders understand the workings of the chieftaincy institution in the country.
The traditional areas, which are expected to host the Regional House of Chiefs include Kpone, Ada, Nungua, La Ga, Teshie, Tema, and Shai-Osudoku among others.
Speaking at the opening ceremony at the Palace of the Tema Mantse, Nii Adjei Kraku II, Mr. Harry Anthony Attipoe, Registrar of the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs, said that most stakeholders in the region do not understand the installation and de-stoolment processes of chiefs, hence the rampant disputes.
He explained that the House had 13 unsettled chieftaincy cases as at the close of 2015. The cases, as at 2013, he noted, were 15, but the House was able to clear only two, thus leaving the backlog of 13 unsettled chieftaincy cases.
Mr. Attipoe bemoaned the legions of difficulties and challenges such chieftaincy disputes and litigation are causing to development in the region. For example, he said, some of the charges leveled against some of the chiefs for their de-stoolments are unfounded, however, as a chieftaincy institution the weak charges cannot be refused hearing.
The GAR House of Chiefs Registrar observed that cases are delayed for trial because, often, a member on the panel fails to show up for various reasons “otherwise, for me, cases could be heard and trialed within a month or two. “That way, all the backlog of cases could be settled among parties.”
Mr. Attipoe reminded chieftaincy litigants that chieftaincy disputes are not settled in the law courts, saying the most appropriate place for hearing and settling of such disputes is the chieftaincy institution.
He described it as illegal for any wealthy or a highly educated person to impose himself as the chief of an area, even if that person is a royal.
He, consequently, hoped that all stakeholders would be better informed on the legal processes of nominating and installation or de-stoolment of chiefs. That way, chieftaincy disputes will drastically take a nosedive in the region to fast-track development. The workshop is intended to end in mid February, this year.