Ensure Successful Referendum — Togbe Afede Urges

Togbe Afede XIV, President of the National House of Chiefs (NHC), has asked chiefs to play active roles to ensure that the referenda on the creation of new regions were successfully held in a peaceful atmosphere.

He said it was the duty of chiefs, especially those in the affected areas to play their roles efficiently to ensure that the process went on smoothly on December 27, this year, as planned by the state.

Addressing the fourth general meeting of the House in Kumasi on Wednesday, Togbe Afede, also called on the Electoral Commission (EC) to perform its role as fairly as possible to promote peace in the country.

He said one thing that distinguished Ghana from other countries in Africa, was peace and tranquility and it was important that all key actors in the process worked to sustain peace and unity that existed in the country.

Togbe Afede said the House was in the process of digitization to create a website to make some of its documents, especially chieftaincy cases that had been successfully handled and those outstanding, easily accessible to the public. He urged members of the House to ensure that their traditional councils and regional houses of chiefs complied with the directives regarding the digitization project for effective implementation.

Mr Kofi Djamazi, Minister for Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, said government had approved an amount of GHC65,000,000.00 to pay allowances to the judicial committees of the various regional houses of chiefs to ensure prompt adjudication and settlement of chieftaincy disputes in their traditional areas.

He said government was also in the process of procuring 25 cross country vehicles for the various regional houses of chiefs to facilitate their work.

Additionally, government was posting about 3,000 personnel though NABCO, to the various traditional councils to address some of the human resource challenges facing the traditional councils. Nana Akwasi Adjei Boateng, Deputy Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, stressed the need for chiefs to support the vision of the government to introduce the election of metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives.

He said the continuous appointment of MMDCEs by the President defeated the concept of democracy and it was important that all stakeholders joined the idea of the elections to promote popular participation in local governance and bring governance to the doorsteps of the people.

Source: GNA