President of the Upper West Region House of Chiefs, Kuoro Richard Babini Kanton, has said there is the need for chiefs to be given constitutional role in the management of sanitation and the environment in their communities.
He said this role could be very useful especially in the area of sanctioning offenders.
“I will highlight the need for government as it begins processes that would lead to the amendment of the 1992 Constitution; to equally find some role for chiefs in the management of sanitation and the environment in their communities, especially in the area of sanctioning those culpableâ€, he said.
Kuoro Kanton, who is also the Paramount Chief of the Tumu Traditional Area and a Member of the Council of State, made the call during the General Meeting of the House in Wa and added that the move if made, could positively redefine the role of chiefs in modern governance.
He said the Judicial Committees of the House were working and that he was glad to announce that once again two cases have been successfully disposed of off while hearings were ongoing with regards to other cases.
The President of the Upper West Region House of Chiefs pleaded for urgent payment of the contractor working on the office complex of the House to facilitate the speedy completion of the project to enable chiefs have a befitting facility to transact official business.
The Paramount Chief of the Tumu Traditional Area and Member of the Council of State also solicited the support of government on some critical matters that he said were key to the development of the region.
These critical issues include the conversion of the Wa campus of the University for Development Studies into a fully-fledged University, establishment of Shea Plantations under the Planting for Food and Jobs initiative, the rehabilitation of the Guest House belonging to the House and the improvement of road network in the region, particularly Nandom-Hamile, Wa-Tumu-Chiana and Jirapa-Ko-Nandom roads.
Kuoro Kanton assured government of their unflinching support in the quest to bring development to the country.
Alhaji Sulemana Alhassan, Upper West Regional Minister, commended the House for the hard work in resolving many of the chieftaincy disputes in the region and also their support and cooperation in the implementation of government programmes and policies.
He said despite the apparent limited role that chiefs play in the current constitutional dispensation, they were still considered to be advocates of development and seeing to the welfare of their people, adding that it was clear from recent trends of lobbying by chiefs to ensure their areas experienced socio-economic development.
“This re-enforces the need for information sharing and training for chiefs so that they are better able to interact with and manage their relationships with various development actorsâ€, he said and assured that government through the House of Chiefs was poised to enhance their capacities for them to play their expected roles well.
Alhaji Alhassan said government has increased the allowance of Paramount Chiefs and Queen Mothers by 100 percent while measures were being put in place to give allowance to every gazetted chief in the country.