Chieftaincy Bill passed

Accra, June 6, 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.