By Jones Anlimah
The Ministry of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs has elevated five traditional areas in the Volta region to council status. Performing the inaugural ceremony at the various programmes in the region, the sector minister, Mr Stephen Asamoah Boateng, emphasised government’s commitment to broadening the scope of Chieftaincy Institutions and issues to ensure that traditional rulers play a pivotal role in the country’s socioeconomic development.
The Council status has legislative backing, which also confers presidency on the Paramount Chiefs of the various Traditional Councils. This also grants permits for the establishment of traditional committees in the pursuit of effective administration.
The inauguration of the five traditional councils in the Volta region was in fulfilment of Section 12(1) of the Chieftaincy Act of 2008, ACT 759, which calls for the establishment of traditional councils within each traditional area.
The newly inaugurated councils are Dzodze and Weta Traditional Councils, both in Ketu North; Amugo-vego Traditional Council in Keta; Awate Traditional Council in North Dayi; and Ave Xevi Traditional Council in the Akatsi North district of the Volta region.
The inauguration of the various Councils was also accompanied by the inauguration of offices for the councils to operate from. Members of the various councils were sworn in by Judges in the various districts where the councils are formed.
Presidents of the newly inaugurated Traditional Councils called for peace and unity within their traditional areas and in Ghana at large as the country gears up for the December polls.
The President of the Awate Traditional Council, Togbe Azahvuvu IV, expressed gratitude for the recognition bestowed upon their traditional area by the Ministry and emphasised the council’s commitment to utilise their newfound status to address the needs of their community, promote development initiatives, and contribute actively to national development efforts.
“The Traditional Council status has been conferred on our Traditional area to aid in realising the needed development of Awate. I will like to impress upon all of us as a community well meaning for the welfare and development of Awate, to put beside our personal differences,” he said.
“Let us embrace unity, for there can’t be peace without unity. So let us first work towards unifying the community, and unification is no electrification,” Togbe added.
“I want to create opportunities for the young ones to have jobs. And as I speak today, plans are far advanced. If you look around, you will realise we have huge deposits of white clay. We have been working tirelessly with some private and various agencies to establish the extraction of white clay here, and I believe that will generate jobs for our youth,” Togbe Azahvuvu noted:
In an address read on his behalf by the Director of Human Resource at the Ministry of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Mr Evans Selorm Habada, the Minister for Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Mr Stephen Asamoah Boateng, said the elevation of the traditional areas to council status underscores government’s recognition of the invaluable role played by traditional institutions in nation-building and signals a new era of collaboration and partnership between traditional rulers and the state.
“You also need to understand the process involved in allocating lands, granting leases, and land acquisition in general. You need to also understand some of the laws and acts covering the Chieftaincy Institution. The prime one is the Chieftaincy Act, and that should be your Bible. The inauguration of the Awate Traditional Council will help resolve some of the issues and also help train our chiefs in setting up Judicial committees and build your capacity to help you deliver on your mandate.”
Mr Asamoah Boateng also highlighted the importance of Traditional institutions in fostering unity, preserving cultural heritage, and promoting socio-economic progress. “On our part, the ministry will ensure the posting of some staff either on temporal or permanent basis to help with the administration and assist you with logistics,” he assured.
It is the view of the Ministry of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs that as the newly established Councils assume their roles, they will leverage their enhanced status to spearhead initiatives aimed at improving the lives of their people and contribute meaningfully to the overall progress of the nation.
