Koforidua, Nov. 29, GNA- Chiefs and Queenmothers in Eastern Region have called on the Governing Council of the National African Peer Review Mechanism (NAPRM) Secretariat to educate the District Chief Executives(DCEs) and Officials of the decentralized agencies to appreciate the role of traditional authorities in the development of the country.

They deploy the way lands that they have been freely offered for development projects were diverted by the DCEs and other government officials without their consent.

It was the conviction of the traditional authorities that such education was necessary if the recommendations contained in the country report of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) on chieftaincy was to work effectively.

The Chiefs and Queenmothers expressed their view at a dissemination workshop organized for the Eastern Regional House of Chiefs and Queenmothers on Tuesday by the NAPRM Governing Council(GC) at Koforidua.

Speaking on the country's report, the Executive Secretary of NAPRM-GC, Dr Francis Appiah said the report recommended that traditional authorities in the country need to see themselves as leaders of their communities who has roles to play to the development of their areas and as such take decisions to that effect.

He said if traditional authorities were to play the role expected of them, then they have to be bold in taking decisions and had to prove to be visionaries by their actions.

Dr. Appiah said the report also recommended that the government provides the necessary financial resources to support the judicial review of the traditional authorities and the traditional institution for it to growth and development. He called on the traditional authorities to return to their role in the past where they played a major role in the provision of schools and other development projects in their communities. He urged them to find a way of using their festivals and other activities to tap the knowledge and resources of the intellectuals from their areas to contribute towards the development of their traditional area. A member of the NAPRM-GC Professor S. K. B. Asante observed that, the development of the country would progress faster if traditional authorities were made to become the focal point of development programmes in the districts.

He explained that, this was so, because the influence of traditional authorities transcend political lines and so they had the advantage of mobilizing people from different political persuasions to come together to support developmental efforts.

The Chairman of the GC of the NAPRM, Professor S. K. Adjepong said after the APRM of Ghana, several recommendations were made and as part of the process the various institutions and organizations that had roles to play need to be sensitised to be aware of their roles if the country is to achieve the desired benefit from the APRM.

He said it was for that reasons that the GC had been organizing several workshops for various institutions and organizations in the country after the APRM.

In a welcoming address, the President of the Eastern Regional House of Chiefs, Nene Narh Dawutey Ologo recounted the various programmes that the NAPRM secretariat had organized for the House and expressed his appreciation for the efforts and the interest shown. 29 Nov.06