President Mahama Met with Chiefs for important deliberations after he had scrapped the Ministry of Chieftaincy.
During the meeting, President John Mahama expressed his gratitude for the earlier reception by the traditional leaders. He emphasized;
‘The role you played in welcoming us and giving us good counsel on how to conduct our campaigns and ensure that the election is held in a peaceful atmosphere contributed to the successful election we had.”
“The way the whole world celebrated Ghana for the peaceful transition has added one more accolade in our caps as the beacon of democracy in Africa. It is something that we must all take pride in.”
H.E. John Dramani Mahama President of the Republic of Ghana
The President proposed regular dialogues with the chiefs to address issues of national importance, beyond the chieftaincy institution.
He noted the constitutional provision to keep chieftaincy matters within the purview of the chiefs especially during times of death and matters of succession He recounted;
“In the 1992 constitution, it was decided from the unpleasant experiences of the past, where the government used to interfere in chieftaincy matters, to leave the issue of chieftaincy completely to the chiefs themselves. But then I do think that there are issues that come up, especially with the selection of new chiefs, that create security crises.”
“I remember that at a point, it was decided that there should be a codification of the lines of succession. I don’t know how far that project has gone, but it looks like the issue of disputes is becoming even worse by the day than it was before this codification took place.”
H.E. John Dramani Mahama President of the Republic of Ghana
Moreover, the President announced plans for a constitutional review to address certain crises and outdated provisions. He reiterated;
“We intend to hold a constitutional review validation conference. The intention is to put the work of the Fiajo committee which was the initial work that was commissioned by President Atta Mills and then also the work that was done by the Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu Committee under the commission of President Nana Akufo Addo, and put all those on the table to see what is still relevant in terms of amending our constitution.”
H.E. John Dramani Mahama President of the Republic of Ghana
John Mahama highlighted the need to clarify constitutional mandates, using the example of the impasse between Parliament and the Supreme Court over the authority to declare seats vacant. He added;
“As you implement, as you operate under a constitution, you find some loopholes and things that were not completely anticipated. For every country, after a while, there might become the necessity to make amendments to a constitution.”
H.E. John Dramani Mahama President of the Republic of Ghana
Enhancing Chiefs’ Role in Governance and Environmental Agencies
President Mahama advocated for increased involvement of chiefs in governance, particularly in environmental protection.
He noted the limitations faced by chiefs in halting illegal activities within their territories. He added;
“The traditional areas belong to you, but government agencies like the EPA have the legal mandates to protect the environment. The EPA is sitting here in Accra. How many offices do they have in your traditional areas? If somebody goes into a forest reserve and starts cutting trees down, the chief has absolutely no power to stop the person.”
H.E. John Dramani Mahama President of the Republic of Ghana
He suggested a synergistic approach between government and traditional authorities to enhance governance and environmental protection. He asked;
“How do we get the chiefs better involved so that there is synergy between government and our traditional authority? These are all issues that have been agitated in my mind, and I raised them during the campaign.”
H.E. John Dramani Mahama President of the Republic of Ghana
He reiterated his commitment to working closely with traditional leaders to address national challenges and improve governance.
“These are just a few. There are many more things I’ll brief you on when the media has left, but these are the few remarks that I’ll make and, again, say a very warm welcome to all of you and thank you very much for answering our call.”
H.E. John Dramani Mahama President of the Republic of Ghana
This comprehensive address by President John Mahama underscores his administration’s intent to foster closer collaboration with traditional leaders and tackle key governance challenges, reflecting a commitment to inclusive and participatory governance.
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