Asantehene to present paper at African Dev't Forum

Kumasi, Sept. 1, GNA - The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has been invited to present a paper on traditional systems in modern states at the African Development Forum to be held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in October this year.

The Asantehene who announced this at the first general meeting of the Ashanti Regional House of Chiefs in Kumasi on Tuesday, also said he would attend the Expo 2004 in the United States of America before going to Addis Ababa.

He said a supervising committee would be established to meet with the World Bank to discuss the utilization of the 50 million-dollar grant it gave for the development of five key areas including education, health, agriculture, sanitation and other developmental projects in the country, and report to the House.

Otumfuo Osei Tutu urged the chiefs to study the new Chieftaincy Act and other legislations on chieftaincy carefully to enable them to make meaningful contributions at traditional council meetings and be abreast with rules regulating the positions they occupied.

The Asantehene, who is also the President of the House, advised the chiefs to acquire more knowledge and research into chieftaincy so that they could make viable inputs towards the development of the institution.

Daasebre Osei Bonsu II, Mamponghene, commended the Asantehene for donating 50 million cedis towards the renovation of the building of the House.

The House stressed the need for the services of lawyers to enable the Judicial Committee to effectively determine cases brought before it, and deferred discussions on the Chieftaincy Act, the creation of "Development Queen mothers" (Nkosuohemaa) by chiefs and the Standing Orders of the House to its next meeting.