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Status
of traditional chiefs improves with passing of bill
Accra, June 6, Ghanadot/GNA- Parliament on Friday passed the
Chieftaincy Bill after 37 years of its introduction.
The Bill, when it receives a Presidential assent into law,
would consolidate all the existing chieftaincy laws and give
traditional rulers an enhanced status in their adjudicating,
arbitration and conflict resolution roles.
The Bill is divided under different sub-titles and 79
sections.
The sub-titles are the National House of Chiefs, Traditional
and Divisional Councils, Chieftaincy Matter, Jurisdiction
and Judicial Committees, Proceedings in Chieftaincy Matters,
Stool Property and Customary Law, Chief and Miscellaneous
Provisions.
According to the Memorandum of the Bill, the Bill would
bring amendments of the Chieftaincy Act (370) to bring the
Act into conformity with the provisions on the subject in
the Constitution and to include new proposals, and
consolidates eight pieces of enactments which are amendments
to the Act.
Mr. Sampson Kwaku Boafo, Chieftaincy Affairs Minister, told
journalists that the Bill would give legal backing for the
development of the capacity of traditional rulers to be
abreast with new trends in traditional governance and
evolving global trends.
He said the Bill would guarantee the arbitration powers and
customary roles of chiefs.
He said the Research Department of the Chieftaincy Ministry
is to begin examining where traditional rulers need
capacity.
These, he said included Information, Communication and
Technology, legal and business education to enhance their
skills in the handling of customary issues, land and
boundary disputes, succession issues as well as better
skills for negotiating deals with investor, citing the oil
find as an instance.
GNA
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