Michael Donyina Mensah, the Executive Director for the Centre for Public Opinion and Awareness (CenPOA), has argued that the chieftaincy institution has outlived its usefulness in modern Ghana.
He posited that the institution has not lived up to its expectation, and the idea by the late Dr Kwame Nkrumah to incorporate chieftaincy into our civil government has failed.
The policy analyst stated that the majority of problems confronting Ghana are due to chieftaincy-related issues.
Michael Donyina Mensah noted that when you take galamsey, for example, chiefs should take the majority of the blame.
”Based on where Ghana is headed, I can categorically state that chieftaincy will no longer be relevant. According to a recent CenPOA survey, less than 20% of respondents either listen to what their chiefs say or prefer to accept their chiefs’ positions. This clearly demonstrates that chieftaincy has outlived its usefulness. We value civil governance, so our chiefs are not vocal or visible. Chieftaincy has become more ceremonial.
Whether we like it or not, chieftaincy will not be valued in a modern Ghana in the future, so I suggest that we start talking about these issues. We must review and repeal the constitution if the chieftaincy institution is no longer useful.”
He told host Kwabena Agyapong that there are no significant benefits to chieftaincy or the role of chiefs in Ghana, which is why he proposed that we remove it from our books. Apart from cultural identity, I don’t see any benefits from Ghana’s chiefs.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
