Avatime gets new Paramount Chief-as Boafo worries over chieftaincy disputes

The Minister for Chieftaincy and Culture, Mr. Samson K. Boafo, has commended the kingmakers of the Avatime Traditional Area, in the Ho Municipality, for the peaceful manner in which they conducted the selection and the installation of a new Paramount Chief for the area, after the death of the late Paramount Chief.

He said it was not common these days, for a traditional area to go through the selection process of chiefs, without experiencing conflict, noting that due to this negative development, his outfit had the difficult task of resolving chieftaincy disputes in some parts of the country, and asked those areas, bedeviled with chieftaincy disputes, to emulate the chiefs and people of Avatime.

The Chieftaincy and Culture Minister, who was speaking at the enstoolment ceremony of Osie Adzatekpor VII, Paramount Chief of the Avatime Traditional Area at Vane, noted that the relationship between culture and development could not be over emphasised, stressing that much more needed to be done to strengthen such relationships, for accelerated growth.

Mr. Boafo emphasised that chiefs played crucial roles in the development efforts of the country, therefore there was the need to strengthen the chieftaincy institution, and announced that under the new chieftaincy act, two weeks noticed needed to be given to the respective Regional House of Chiefs, before a chief was en-stooled or de-stooled, which would in turn notify the National House of Chiefs.

He urged chiefs to work hard to ensure peace in the areas at all times, particularly during the forthcoming general elections, noting that “the development of an area, would not be measured by the number of conflicts or wars fought, but the level of development projects executed.”

Mr. Boafo donated GH¢3,000, on behalf of the government, to the chiefs and people of the Avatime area, to support their activities, as well as GH¢500, on behalf of the Ministry of Energy, where the new Paramount Chief is the administrative officer.

The Ho Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mr. Mawutor Goh, noted that during his administration as the MCE, the Avatime area was always peaceful, which he said was a prerequisite for development, and attributed the peace that was associated with area, to good leadership.

He said government had drawn up a long term development plan for the area, to improve on education and health, as well as develop the tourism potential, noting that when completed, would make the Avatime area a number one tourism attraction destination in the country, and called on the people to support the government, to enable it to achieve such goals.

The President of the Volta Regional House of Chiefs, Togbega Gabusu VI, observed that chieftaincy disputes continued to be the major problem confronting the House, noting that there was the need to ensure that such elements, like financial influence in the chieftaincy institute, were eliminated, to ensure that only those who qualified became chiefs.

Osie Adza Tekpor, who is known in private life as Mr. Harry Adobor, thanked the chiefs and people of Avatime for the honour done him, and called for support to enable him and other chiefs, as well as elders, to champion the development of the area, by assisting in job creation for the youth.