Chieftaincy Act and Succession Disputes Resolution: A Panacea for National Security?

Vincent Assanful

doi:10.38159/erats.2021751

Abstract

The chieftaincy institution is a revered institution and as such attempts have been made to maintain its sanctity. However, over the years, the institution has been fraught with disputes thereby bringing its image into disrepute. The chieftaincy Act, 759 (2008) was enacted by the parliament of Ghana to regulate the institution. The Act has made provisions for the resolution of disputes that have attended the institution. This article is an attempt to assess the effectiveness of the Act on the dispute resolution mechanisms of the judicial committees of the Houses of Chiefs. Using interview and textual analysis as its main instruments, the article looks at the role of the Judicial Committees of the Houses of Chiefs in dealing with the numerous succession disputes that has bedeviled the institution. The article will assess the methods the Committee uses in handling cases that come before it and how parties to the succession disputes collaborate with the Committee to dispense with the case. The article argues that if the Judicial Committee is well resourced, it will be in a position to help deal with chieftaincy succession disputes expeditiously. This would reduce the incidents of open conflicts resulting in deaths and destructions of properties thereby threatening national security. Keywords: chieftaincy, succession disputes, national security, houses of chiefs, arbitration

Highlights

The Chieftaincy institution is one of the most revered and sacred institutions in Ghana
The resilience of the Chieftaincy institution has surprised adherent of the modernisation school of thought. This school of thought holds the view that with increasing urbanisation, industrialisation and the emergence of a multi-ethnic society and an educated elite less rooted in their traditional beliefs and practices, the Chieftaincy institution is bound to gradually lose its relevance within the African context.2. This has not been the case as the Chieftaincy institution contrary to the position of the modernisation theorists has seen a resurgence in most African countries in the post-colonial period
This study has shown that the use of the Chieftaincy Act 2008 has made it possible for succession disputes affecting the chieftaincy institution to be amicably settled in the various traditional areas of Ghana experiencing such conflicts

Summary

Introduction

The Chieftaincy institution is one of the most revered and sacred institutions in Ghana. The resilience of the Chieftaincy institution has surprised adherent of the modernisation school of thought This school of thought holds the view that with increasing urbanisation, industrialisation and the emergence of a multi-ethnic society and an educated elite less rooted in their traditional beliefs and practices, the Chieftaincy institution is bound to gradually lose its relevance within the African context.. This school of thought holds the view that with increasing urbanisation, industrialisation and the emergence of a multi-ethnic society and an educated elite less rooted in their traditional beliefs and practices, the Chieftaincy institution is bound to gradually lose its relevance within the African context.2 This has not been the case as the Chieftaincy institution contrary to the position of the modernisation theorists has seen a resurgence in most African countries in the post-colonial period. This school of thought holds the view that with increasing urbanisation, industrialisation and the emergence of a multi-ethnic society and an educated elite less rooted in their traditional beliefs and practices, the Chieftaincy institution is bound to gradually lose its relevance within the African context. this has not been the case as the Chieftaincy institution contrary to the position of the modernisation theorists has seen a resurgence in most African countries in the post-colonial period.

Methods

Discussion

Conclusion