Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia has urged all factions in the Bawku conflict to collaborate with the government and other key stakeholders to resolve any issues that have derailed the peace and development of the area.
Addressing the chiefs, queen mothers and people of the Upper East Region in Bolgatanga on Wednesday (31 May 2023), Bawumia expressed anguish at the attacks, injuries and compromised security in the Bawku area, which has impacted negatively not just on the area, but the nation as a whole.
“As a son of the soil, my heart breaks about what is happening in Bawku. The conflict in Bawku is very unfortunate because we are really one people, and we should be together, and not fighting.
“And so I hope that the initiatives that government has initiated through the House of Chiefs and the Otumfuo that is ongoing will help us to bring lasting peace to the Bawku area and therefore help us develop our part of the country, because conflict leads to poverty and that has been shown very clearly,” he said.
“For us on the part of the government, we understand that to prevent conflict and to enhance peace, we have to make sure that development in Ghana is inclusive. Everybody must feel a part of the development that we see in the country. When people are excluded, they are more susceptible to extremist ideas,” he added.
Commissioning of house of chiefs building
Bawumia made the call for peace and prosperity when he, accompanied by the United States Ambassador to Ghana, Virginia Palmer and the Minister Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Stephen Asamoah Boateng, commissioned the extensively renovated offices of the Upper East Regional House of Chiefs, at Bolgatanga.
Urging Chiefs to support Government to bring about lasting peace, Dr Bawumia observed that many conflicts in the country have their roots in Chieftaincy disputes.
“Government’s major bane as far as security is concerned has been Chieftaincy-related. The scarce resources which could have otherwise been channeled to other basic developmental projects are being sacked into waste.
“Peace they say is a sine-qua-non to development. There is therefore the need for more collaborative efforts to step up our game towards prevention and control of conflicts. We in this part of the country are already vulnerable and what is happening across the (Burkina Faso) border puts us in a more precarious situation.
“For us on the part of Government, we understand that to prevent conflict and to enhance peace, we have to make sure that development in Ghana is inclusive. Everybody must feel a part of the development that we see in the country. When people are excluded, they are more susceptible to extremist ideas,” he noted.
Despite the challenges, Dr Bawumia assured of Government’s continued support for the Chieftaincy institution, emphasizing that the NPP and its tradition have always held the institution of Chieftaincy in very high esteem, evidenced in the recognition of Chieftaincy as part of the central government structures by the K A Busia administration in 1971.
“In the current 4th republican dispensation the NPP government under Presidents J.A. Kufuor and Akufo-Addo also created the Ministry for Chieftaincy just like any other sector of the country. All the legislative frameworks were enacted during our tenure.
“The current Minister, Hon Stephen Asamoah Boateng has started well and he will need your wise counsel and cooperation to make the institution more productive and development-oriented.”
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