The leadership of Anlo Youth Council (AYC), the umbrella body of the youth of Anlo, has observed that the Chieftaincy Act, 2008 (Act 759), which governs the management of traditional affairs in Ghana, did not accurately codify the traditional structure of Anlo.
The body said that has led to ambiguities and confusion.
The AYC therefore urged Parliament to carefully consider the cultural realities of societies like Anlo in their legislative work, ensuring that legal codifications respect historical and constitutional frameworks.
The AYC in a release issued by its Vice President (Operations), Mr. Godsway Hanyabui and available to Ghana News Agency said the Act failed to reflect the longstanding and independent nature of the major traditional areas (Gbortawo) within Anlo, which had operated independent of each other for generations.
It said these Gbortawo, each led by their own chiefs, had maintained distinct roles and responsibilities in the governance of their jurisdictions with the Awoamefia (occupant of
the Awoamezi) reigning as the supreme or central authority over them, and the Awadada (Military Commander) as the next in command.
‘Failure to properly align this reality with the Chieftaincy Act has historically caused friction and created an imbalance in the recognition of traditional authority,’ the release noted.
‘In an attempt to address these discrepancies, an earlier response involved creating paramountcies by assigning geographic areas to certain wing commanders.
‘However, this approach was fundamentally flawed. It did not respect the cultural nuances and historical independence of the Gbortawo of Anlo. Instead, it imposed a system that was alien to the established chieftaincy structure of Anlo, consequently undermining the independence of the Gbortawo.
‘The attempt to assign territorial paramountcies to wing commanders, such as designating the Awadada, Dusifiaga, and Miafiaga with specific geographical leadership roles, is another effort to align the structures of Anlo to Act 759 instead of codif
ying the structures of Anlo as guaranteed by the 1992 Constitution as in Article 11(3) and impressing upon the right institutions of State to incorporate same.’
The release stated that ‘any decision which misaligns the concept of Gbortawo of Anlo’ was bound to be faced with significant implementation challenges, as it would fail to account for the fact that the traditional leadership roles within one Gborta had always operated independently of the other, with each under the authority of the Awoamefia.
‘The result will be confusion and resistance from both the chiefs and their communities, of affected areas when such changes do not align with the cultural expectations of leadership and the people. Good examples are the recent Kome-Shime Traditional Area as well as the Amugo-Wego Traditional Area. It is a recipe for confusion.’
While the release deemed the recent elevations of certain traditional areas to paramountcy status as representing a solution that would restore the rightful status of these areas, ref
lecting their historical autonomy, it urged that these elevations be properly codified and incorporated within the framework of the law to reflect the structures of Anlo as known, practised and guaranteed.
‘This should include the Awadada as the second in command, and occupying the Dome, and being flanked by the Dusifiaga and the Miafiaga to reflect the Awalorgo (wing command) concept. These changes will ensure that the leadership of Anlo remains rooted in its traditional structure and integrated into the legal framework of the Chieftaincy Act.’
The release called on all stakeholders to be guided in the ongoing elevations of traditional areas to preserve the unique system of Anlo while advising government institutions against imposing external structures that might not reflect Anlo’s longstanding traditions as that could pose a threat of destabilising both traditional governance and community cohesion.
‘It is crucial that future legislative actions uphold the cultural frameworks of traditional societies li
ke Anlo, preserving our heritage and allowing our communities to develop peacefully within the bounds of the 1992 Constitution,’ it pointed out.
Source: Ghana News Agency