2024 polls: Bawumia promises to amend Chieftaincy Act to restore power to traditional leaders
28th October 2024
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has pledged to restore powers to Ghana’s chiefs if he is elected president in the upcoming general election.
Dr. Bawumia expressed concerns that the Ghanaian constitution has reduced chiefs’ powers and excluded them from active political participation.
“If elected, my government will amend the Chieftaincy Act to empower chiefs to enforce discipline effectively and manage local disputes that should be resolved at their level, without needing to go to court,” he stated.
He emphasized the importance of restoring discipline in society, saying, “There is a lack of discipline, and we need to address this by revisiting and amending our approach.”
Dr. Bawumia specifically proposed amending Section 63(d) of the Chieftaincy Act, as recommended by his manifesto committee, to provide greater authority to chiefs.
He believes this amendment will ease the burden on the courts and allow more cases to be resolved locally.
“This will enable chiefs to swiftly resolve community disputes and reduce the backlog of court cases,” he explained.
Additionally, Dr Bawumia committed to providing living wages to paramount chiefs, divisional chiefs, and queen mothers, ensuring they receive the resources needed to fulfil their duties.
“We assign them responsibilities; now, we must provide the resources to empower them in building the country and their communities,” he said.
Dr Bawumia made these remarks during his Oti regional campaign tour, where he engaged the Oti Regional House of Chiefs, clergy, party members, and NPP supporters in Krachi East over the weekend.
The chiefs and queen mothers expressed appreciation for his proposal, noting his genuine concern for traditional leadership and wishing him well in his presidential ambitions.