By Murtala Issah
Members of the Northern Regional House of Chiefs have been trained in the adjudication process to enable them to mediate in cases that come before them.
The Northern Regional Peace Council initiated the project as part of efforts to reduce the numerous ethnic and chieftaincy conflicts in the region and ensure sustainable peace as well as development.
The Catholic Secretariat funded the project. The Executive Secretary of the Northern Regional Peace Council, Father Thaddeus Kuusah, revealed in an interview with GBC News that the Peace Council and the Catholic Secretariat are concerned about the numerous conflicts in the region, hence the determination to stamp out the root causes of these conflicts.
He noted that most of these conflicts are the results of delayed and inefficient adjudication of cases, hence the need to build the capacity of members for efficient adjudication.
“Because of the nature of chieftaincy conflicts, the traditional rulers are the best to arbitrate in such disputes; that is why the judicial committees have been set up by the regional House of Chiefs for such purposes, but many of them are without the knowledge and skills because they don’t have the legal background. That is why the Peace Council, with the support of the Tamale Archdiocesan Development Office (TADO), is providing this training to enable them to dispense the aspect of their function,” he explained.
In his opening remarks, the Chairman for the occasion, Nantong Naa M.B. Bawah, emphasised that the Northern Region is rising out of its recent history of conflicts; therefore, the region needs support to totally overcome its challenges and usher in a new era of socioeconomic development.
“From this education, we have gained the knowledge to know what constitutes a criminal offence and to refer such to the police, over all, this is a very good initiative, and we want to have more,” he stated.
The training on the adjudication process is one of a number of initiatives being implemented by the Northern Regional Peace Council, which are geared towards ensuring the peace and security of the Northern Region. Other initiatives include the training of religious leaders in the area, the provision of skills training for selected youth across the region, and the sensitisation of residents on the threat of violent extremism.
The Peace Council is hoping that these initiatives will contribute to sustainable peace in the region and open a new chapter of socio-economic and human development in the area.
