A Renowned Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding expert, Emmanuel Bombande, has underscored the need to maintain a clear separation between politics and chieftaincy.
He warned that the increasing overlap between political ambitions and traditional leadership roles could threaten national stability and peace.
“In Ghana, we must ensure that the political meddling in chieftaincy matters is strictly curtailed.”
“When we allow political actors to dictate who can be a paramount chief, we undermine the very fabric of our national peace,” he said, arguing that it was this reason that the framers of the 1992 Constitution provided the Judicial Council of the House of Chiefs as the means for resolving chieftaincy issues to ensure the integrity of traditional institutions.
Congregation
He was speaking at the 14th joint graduation of the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) and the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) last Friday.
The joint graduation was on the theme, “Building African Agency for Peace and Security in a Changing World”.
In all, 101 students from Ghana, Nigeria, and Zambia were conferred with master's degrees in the institution’s Conflict, Peace and Security, and Gender, Peace and Security programmes, with one female PhD graduate, the second woman to complete the Doctorate programme since its inception in 2015.
Prosper Basommi Laari emerged as the best graduating student in the MA Gender, Peace and Security, while Elizabeth Jenelle Acquah was named best graduating student in the MA Conflict, Peace and Security.
Peace
Mr Bombande, who is also a former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, urged the graduates to transform their academic knowledge into practical solutions to strengthen peace and security across Africa.
“My mission is building an African agency for peace and security in a changing world,” he said, warning that “global collaboration to address armed conflicts is diminishing.”
Plans
The Chief of Staff to the Office of the Vice President, Alex Percival Segbefia, announced that the government was working to strengthen Ghana’s peace and security architecture to combat the risk of violent extremism in the country.
That, he said, involves close collaboration with Ghana’s neighbouring countries to collectively address the threats of terrorism.
Mr Segbefia added that the government’s engagement with and integration of the Sahel States in efforts to curb violent extremism across the West African region demonstrate its dedication to safeguarding Ghana’s borders and ensuring the security of the entire subregion.
“The government of John Dramani Mahama remains unwavering in its determination to strengthen the country’s peace and security architecture.
Ghana’s peace is bound to that of West Africa, and our progress depends on the collective stability of our neighbours,” he said.
Mr Segbefia commended the Ghana Armed Forces and KAIPTC leadership for sustaining a world-class institution that nurtures professionals committed to peacebuilding, stability, and governance.
He added that Africa must no longer be a spectator in global affairs, but an actor capable of setting agendas and shaping outcomes.
