what is the role of traditional leaders in ghana

The views of the respondents regarding these issues are presented in Table 3. Ghana?s traditional leadership structure is a hierarchy. The traditional leaders roles included: judicial functions, allocation of land held in trust (the ownership of the land is hold by the traditional leader for the benefits of the people who live in it), the preservation of law and order, the provision of administrative services at local government, administration of For example, the volunteers of the U.S. Peace Corps facilitated communication among the bush burners, the leaders in their communities, and the state authorities in the savanna agroecological zone of Northern Ghana [29]. [, Alvesson M, Deetz S. Doing critical management research. They communicate intensively and seek alliances with indigenous groups to ethically protect the ecosystem and biodiversity [28]. Leaders have met with MoFA on block farming and fertilizer control. The core of this investigation was to explore the roles traditional leaders play in resolving conflict among indigenous communities in . Cosmovision is the perspective of society and is deeply rooted in the way society is organized and evolves. Some of the examples provided are mentioned below. Since the Frafra communities are predominantly rural, ecological deterioration and socio-cultural factors, like scarcity of employment, might force them to migrate to the South. Chiefs meet with leaders and members of the community and with EPA groups in regard to good agronomic practices. Adv Environ Eng Res 2022; 3(3): 036; doi:10.21926/aeer.2203036. Christianity has contributed to this in some way as the young ones who should go to the bush to look for the herbs will not because they are Christians and do not want to be associated with pagan activities. The funeral and marriage rites of our people that give us our identity as gururensis. Although there are practical, legislative, and policy-related issues in conserving biodiversity, the foremost concern is the need to balance biodiversity with all the other challenges of sustainable development, as stated by the United Nations General Assembly in their 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the 2030 Agenda (see example in https://sdgs.un.org/goals). In the study, the researchers went for the latter. Baa-Poku F, Ayivor JS, Ofori BD. National REDD+ strategy and action plan. Additionally, due to their geographical closeness to the educational institutions in Bolga, we expected them to easily understand the subject of the study. An issue was raised that the interventions by the government and NGOs were ineffective due to the activities of nomadic people. Permission was also sought from the other categories of respondents. African cultures liken the earth to the mother or womb. Cook J. Empowering people for sustainable development. 2000; 10: 1251-1262. Barrow E, Pathak N. Conserving unprotected protected areas - Communities can and do conserve landscapes of all sorts. Ethical questions are fundamental to the main policies and decisions on biodiversity [27], and several environmental organizations uphold them. Thousand oaks: Sage; 2000. The term Frafra derives from a greeting by the locals and is a denomination by which the people of the Bolgatanga District and the neighboring districts are known to the rest of Ghana. However, new initiatives have been taken to reduce and/or revert this threat. One case involves the traditional jute industry, where new challenges are arising from demographic changes [35]. There are about 526,300 Gurune-speaking (or FraFra) people in Ghana, including 400,000 in the Upper East Region and 100,000 who live in various communities, towns, and cities in other regions (https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/tribes/frafra.php). A better approach would be demand-driven projects that are tied to livelihoods, where the communities assess their needs and request projects and interventions that they can own. #myModal4 .modal-dialog{width:650px;}, To maintain the traditions and culture of the people, To investigate (earth priests) issues of spiritually and relay the information to the people, To engage sectional/clan leaders to maintain the culture and traditions, To organize the people (the chief) and educate the community to preserve natural resources, To educate others about the varied taboos of the tribe and community, To discipline members who go against taboos and community laws, To guard the culture and tradition of the community, To be a leader who encourages people to take responsibility for local culture/traditions. Agriculture. Most of the respondents were farmers; similarly, most of the participants were males. Baba AE. Selecting the methodology is a critical step in a research project [43]. Silk cotton, Nonnogba, Kalanka no longer grows along riverbanks. To address these questions, we conducted a qualitative study and determined the connection between the beliefs of the tribal leaders, the impact they have on their communities, and also the status and future of biodiversity in their region. Some collaborate with international development . Additionally, they mentioned that poverty also prevented people from being concerned about the conservation of the environment. However, researchers (see [38] for examples) have reported that while the modern farming method has improved output, it has led to a shift in the cropping patterns from traditional staple crops (like pearl millet and sorghum) to market-oriented crops (e.g., maize, rice, and groundnut). Euro J Sustain Dev. We encourage authors to be succinct; however, authors should present their results in as much detail as necessary. This approach aimed to establish groups that would co-create new compounds of shared knowledge and form standing committees to build strong bonds within stakeholder groups and establish commonly accepted solutions to problems related to conflicts (such as land-use and biodiversity-related issues [4]). Rather than forcing farmers to find alternatives to their traditional ways of increasing the availability of cultivable land and improving seed germination by bush burning, a more diverse set of interventions might be more appropriate [30]. The afforestation project as it educates people on the importance of trees and encouraged tree planting. Each table is preceded by a brief statement that states the rationale for that set of questions. Man Dev. Although the communities were peri-urban, the identified communities observed and maintained the tradition. The people are also known for their artistic craft products, which include straw articles like hats and baskets and feather products, which can be found in the major towns of Ghana that tourists visit (ibid., p. 7). Specifically, the key participants were the traditional leaders (chiefs and tindaanas), environmental protection agency personnel, individuals from the forestry commission, focal discussants (community members), and other key individuals deemed to be influential and knowledgeable in the larger community. Richard Crook CDD/ODI Policy Brief No. These traditional institutions protect ecosystems and biodiversity without governmental or juridical restrictions [16]. Wild trees are eliminated by human activities and windstorms. These rivers drain into the area that comprises Northern Ghana. Considering the ecological and socio-economic conditions of Northern Ghana, this type of intervention can have long-term benefits and help to conserve biodiversity [31]. Thousand oaks: Sage; 2014. Traditional leaders have one goal: to improve the company's business position or organization's standing in the marketplace. [. 5th ed. The ideas that the tribal representatives expressed on the issue are presented in Table 4. When people are hungry, their main concern is food, and since many people in the rural areas depend on the environment for survival, they harvest the trees for fuel and timber, or they sell them to make a living. Chiefs and elders have supported Ghana Health Services in health promotion programs. #table10 tr:nth-child(20) td {border-bottom: 2px solid #00000a;} 2011; 8: 238-264. However, the area is rocky, and fertile land is limited. The responses of the respondents were broad and covered several domains, including education, politics/decision-making, land use, and farming. Jeffrey Kurebwa Bindura University Abstract This article describes how traditional leaders play important developmental, administrative and political roles in rural areas, despite modern. It is similar to the pronouncements and belief systems of tribal leaders that their communities accept as their guiding systems. It is in the moment of service to others that true leaders rise up in classrooms, schools, and districts. Taboos result from social customs, or emotional aversion declared as sacred and forbidden by people. Ghana cocoa forest REDD+ Programme: Climate change directorate/national EDD+ secretariat, forestry commission. #table5 td {border: none;vertical-align: middle !important;padding: 0.05in 0.08in;text-align: left;} Reviewers are expected to emphasize scientific rigor and reproducibility. Final funeral rites which is a means of saying goodbye deceased community members. For Policy Econ. Exchange. In: Food for thought: Ancient visions and new experiments of rural people. The role of traditional leadership in other African countries, such as Ghana, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Botswana, was also analysed. Handbook of intercultural communication. #table10 tr:nth-child(1) td {border-top: 2px solid #00000a;border-bottom: 1px solid #00000a;} What policies/strategies do you feel might be most helpful to not only sustaining your way of life and preserving your biodiversity but also contributing to maintaining your local culture and economic growth and sustainability? They were also informed that they could end the interview at any stage if they did not want to continue. They make it clear that it is not about them. These languages are largely mutually intelligible. Taringa N. How environmental is African traditional religion? In the category of agricultural change, two respondents noted the depletion of wetlands and the sale of lands. 2014; 6: 375-398. Special Issue:Governance Challenges in Land Use and Biodiversity Regulation, Received:April 29, 2022 |Accepted:August 25, 2022 |Published:September 26, 2022, Adv Environ Eng Res 2022, Volume 3, Issue 3, doi:10.21926/aeer.2203036. The interviews were conducted at the participants home or workplace over two weeks in early 2022. To examine this relationship, we conducted in-depth interviews with key stakeholders of the Gurune-speaking people in the Upper East Region of Ghana. 2021; 10: 205-213. A gurune proverb clearly distinguishes their roles Tindaana su tinga ti naba su nriba. However, in the modern age and with the incorporation of new technologies in daily lives, along with the presence of other religious practices and the commodification of land, these traditional conservation laws are threatened, they are no longer adhered to, and the reverence of the implementers (the chiefs and earth priests) has decreased. Accra: Forestry Commission; 2020. Get free Research Paper on AN ASSESSMENT OF THE ROLES OF TRADITIONAL RULERS IN CONFLICT RESOLUTION. 2019; 26: 11-24. It is the approach of society to explain and better understand its surroundings, including its place within the cosmos or the universe [6,7], and it is rooted in religious beliefs, traditional beliefs, and cultural mores and practices. With the proper deployment of the SDGs, an amalgamation of traditional and modern systems of conflict resolution might be feasible. area. Enforcing community taboos, e.g., policies on the use of local cultural entertainment during funerals in place of foreign ones which produce noise and ramble damaging human health and the environment. #table10 tr:nth-child(7) td {border-bottom: 1px solid #00000a;} Termites, besides being used to feed their existence in the soil, help in keeping it fertile for farming. The elders of clans, families, priests, soothsayers and spiritual leaders are put in charge of the rites and rituals [4,6]. Studies have shown that actions regarding biodiversity are governed by norms and values in the communities of the Gurune-speaking area (more than by official agencies). Among development practitioners, thereis growing interest in the search for more authentic and socially embedded civilsociety actors. Arguably, a third system controlled by ritual or spiritual leaders existed concurrently with both the centralized and acephalous systems. Both studies found that the local governments accepted tribal intervention, although Asante, Ababio, and Boadu [47] found that the respondents felt that they were being neglected when applying cultural practices in public forest management. b) Youth in Afforestationisa government flagship program for the rehabilitation of degraded areas both forest and non-forest employing the youth to plant trees inside and outside reserves. The interviewers consisted of two research assistants who were indigenous members of the community. Meaning The tindaana is for the land and the chief is for the people [15] (p. 27). One such example was provided by Zeka [12], who investigated the access to and use of river resources in Salem, a peri-urban area of Eastern Cape, South Africa, on which the Inkosi and Izinduna tribes exert their tenurial right of managing the riparian sites. However, they conform to other aspects of indigenous people as they have a historical continuity with pre-colonial and/or pre-settler societies, have a distinct language, culture, and beliefs, and they try to maintain and reproduce their ancestral environments and systems (, Advances in Environmental and Engineering Research, OBM Integrative and Complementary Medicine, Open Access Policies and Copyright License, Governance Challenges in Land Use and Biodiversity Regulation, . Traditional boundaries and water ways are to be respected as this has protected our land and helped to prevent conflicts. All key data were then converted to a tabular form. Timelines given by tribal leaders for funerals as a measure to help check poverty and to enable people to farm. One Opinion Leader, i.e., a person whose verbal and written comments often influence the community. Thus, the belief that abusing nature will lead to the wrath and punishment of the spirits prevents harmful environmental practices [12]. Advances in Environmental and Engineering Research (AEER) is an international peer-reviewed Open Access journal published quarterly online by LIDSEN Publishing Inc. Sitting above the clan head is the village or town chief, also known in some of the Akan. #table10 tr:nth-child(17) td {border-bottom: 1px solid #00000a;} It is the main language of government and instruction. What are the primary products (natural and man-made) that are essential for sustaining the Gurune People way of life? I believe traditional leaders have a key role to play. It involves a public-private partnership between the FC and farmers/individuals, where a portion of the degraded land is given to the farmer/individual to grow food crops and trees for three years and return the land to the FC for another land. To receive the table of contents of newly released issues of Advances in Environmental and Engineering Research, add your e-mail address in the box below, and click on subscribe. The advent of the United Nations Agenda (2030) might have changed the perception of the people from the time the study on forest management was performed. Vernooy R. Roles, trends and challenges of neglected and underutilized species in Ghana. Leadership effectiveness, therefore, is an important consideration for the future of African development. Throughout the ages, they have served as a steady, guiding force for societal progress. There are five administrative regions in Northern Ghana, including the Upper West Region, the Upper East Region, the Northeast Region, the Northern Region, and the Savanna Region. #table7 td {border: none;vertical-align: middle !important;padding: 0.05in 0.08in;text-align: left;} New York: Oxford University Press; 2010. The power disparity between traditional leaders and councillors is a concern for the local government's developmental focus; even though service delivery is urgently needed. This divergence has important implications for sustainable land use and the conservation of biodiversity. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; 2001. This is similar to the role of climate ethics in biodiversity conservation [26]. There are several reasons why traditional leadership is important. These regulations are generally administered by the leaders of these communities. These are the traditional gifts that are expected to be given by visitors to the priests palace. Owing to the belief of spirits inhabiting the things in nature, Adom et al. Oxon/New York: Routledge; 2013. pp. Development policies when they are partisan in nature (e.g., on property owning procedures). Since it involved an interview, specific timeframes were given, which the research assistants honored. The study explores the role of traditional leaders in the Greater Taung Local Municipality (GTLM) situated in the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District Municipality, . This is an open access article distributed under the conditions of the Creative Commons by Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is correctly cited. One way to deal with the issue of preservation is the concept of Community Resource Management Area (CREMA), which was developed by the Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission of Ghana to promote collaborative and participatory wildlife management in the country. Examples of some responses are provided below. Studies from the Kwame Nkrumah University in Kumasi, Ghana, have shown the prominent role of the Asante culture in biodiversity conservation in Ghana and how tribal leadership is prompted both locally and beyond the borders of regional communities through various means of communication (see [10] for examples). In the absence of a better criterion for classifying the people of Northern Ghana, a language-based scheme is often adopted. Int J Humanit Soc Sci Rev. By-laws against bush fires, tree growing by the Forestry Commission. These findings highlighted the importance of including indigenous tribal authorities in planning strategies and developing policies and regulations. Way society is organized and evolves su tinga ti naba su nriba silk,. Advances in environmental and Engineering research ( AEER ) is an international peer-reviewed Open journal! 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