The participants, officials of OCTL and UPSA in a group photograph
A five-day capacity building workshop for chiefs, queenmothers and staff of traditional council from the Regional and National Houses of chiefs in Ghana commenced yesterday at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA).
The Otumfuo Centre for Traditional Leadership (OCTL), one of the four centers of excellence at UPSA that was established to spearhead the development and modernization of the chieftaincy institution in the country, is organizing the workshop which seeks to improve the leadership skills of the traditional authorities, among others.
Participants would be taken through topics such as arbitration, mediation, negotiation and litigation by seasoned resource personnel, including Justice S.A Brobbey, a retired Supreme Court Judge and senior lecturer at the Ghana School of Law.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the training being held at UPSA, Lepowura M.N.D. Jawula, Director of OCTL, said OCTL brought the traditional rulers together to enable them study their institution and share ideas with each other.
According to him, at the end of the training on Friday, September 2, 2016, the participants will be awarded with certificates and diplomas in chieftaincy studies.
He stressed the importance of the chieftaincy institution in promoting good governance in Ghana but stated that it has not been given the desired recognition by state actors at the national level.
“The institution of chieftaincy is another tier of government in Ghana that has not been given the desired recognition,” he said, indicating how chiefs have always been used to resolve political disputes in Ghana.
Lepowura M.N.D. Jawula disclosed that the Local Government Service contributed an amount of GHC60,000 towards the organization of the workshop in recognition of the crucial role that traditional rulers play in promoting good governance both at the national and local levels in the country.
Commenting on measures to professionalize the chieftaincy institution, Lepowura M.N.D. Jawula, appealed to the authorities of UPSA to consider introducing a Masters Degree programme in Chieftaincy Administration in the near future.
Outgoing Vice Chancellor of UPSA, Professor Joshua Alabi, in his welcome remarks, expressed the hope that at the end of the workshop, the chiefs and queenmothers would have acquired the requisite leadership skills and qualities needed to run the affairs of their communities.
About OCTL
OCTL is a centre of academic excellence whose primary aim is to train and build the capacity of traditional rulers and staff of regional and national houses of chiefs.
The Centre has organized a number of capacity building workshops for traditional rulers on various topics such as land administration, strategic management, documentation and records management, conflict management, chiefs as partners of development, among others.
By Solomon Ofori & Melvin Tarlue