| Peer-Reviewed

Development Implications of Chieftaincy Conflicts in Bawku Traditional Area, Ghana

Received: 30 May 2022    Accepted: 17 June 2022    Published: 30 June 2022
Views:       Downloads:
Abstract

Several decrees and laws by the new nationalist government have disrupted the customary processes of selecting chiefs from the original family lineage hence contributing to chieftaincy conflicts in Ghana today. This study explores the wide range of development implications of the protracted chieftaincy conflicts between Kusasis and Mamprusis in the Bawku Traditional Area. The study employed systematic sampling techniques to select 200 householders in five spatial locations in the Bawku Traditional Area which have had significant impacts on the conflicts. The data gathered were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The Bawku Inter-Ethnic Peace Committee, Belim Wusa Development Agency, and the Police were selected for in-depth face-to-face interviews to affirm the quantitative data. The Bawku conflict has created social mistrust and fear, economic, physical insecurity, and infrastructural destructions with undesirable consequences on socio-economic development. This has created a pang of severe hunger in Bawku and its environs. This can affect the realization of the sustainable development agenda. The study recommended that the Ghana government through the National Peace Council should embark on intensive media campaigns on the development implications of the conflicts in the Bawku Traditional Area. Besides, the Bawku East District Assembly should create employment opportunities for the youth and assist the victims to overcome the cost incurred on them through the conflict.

Published in International Journal of Sustainable Development Research (Volume 8, Issue 2)
DOI 10.11648/j.ijsdr.20220802.18
Page(s) 92-98
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Chieftaincy Institutions, Chieftaincy Conflicts, Socio-Economic Development, Bawku Traditional Area, Ghana

References
[1] Abotchie, C. (2006). Has the position of the chief become anachronistic in contemporary Ghanaian politics. Chieftaincy in Ghana: Culture, Governance, and development, 1, 169. In: I. K. Odotei and A. K. Awedoba (eds.), In Chieftaincy in Ghana. Culture, Governance and Development. Accra: Sub-Saharan Publishers.
[2] Agyeman, L. O. (2021). Understanding the Causes and Dynamics of Conflicts in Ghana: Insights from Bawku Traditional Area. Ghana Journal of Development Studies, Vol. 18 (2). 97-116.
[3] Alesina, A., Özler, S., Roubini, N., & Swagel, P. (1996). Political instability and economic growth. Journal of Economic growth, 1 (2), 18900000000000000-211.
[4] Alhassan, E., Abdul Karim, I., & Degraft Arthur, D. (2017). Implications of the Bawku Chieftaincy Conflict on Basic Education in the Bawku Traditional Area of the Upper East Region of Ghana. UDS International Journal of Development, 3 (2), 60-69. Available at http://www.udsijd.org.
[5] Anamzoya Alhassan, S. (2016). Chieftaincy Conflicts in Northern Ghana: The Case of the Bimbilla Skin Succession Dispute. In Tonah (Eds). Managing Chieftaincy and Ethnic Conflicts in Ghana. Woeli Publication Services.
[6] Arjona, A. M. (2009). Variants of Social Order in Civil War. Unpublished PhD Dissertation, Yale University, Department of Political Science. Retrieved from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.
[7] Assimeng, J. M. (1999). Social structure of Ghana: A study in persistence and change. Ghana Publishing Corporation.
[8] Awedoba, A. K. (2009). An Ethnographic Study of Northern Ghanaian Conflicts: Towards a Sustainable Peace: Key Aspects of Past, Present and Impending Conflicts in Northern Ghana and the Mechanisms for Their Address (No. 3). African Books Collective. Accra, Sub-Saharan Publishers.
[9] Battaglia, L., Bellú, G. L., Dieng, C., & Tedesco, I. (2011). Development Paradigms and related Policies. Issue Papers, 6.
[10] Bawku Municipal Assembly. (2017). Medium term development plan (20182021). Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, Accra, Ghana. Retrieved from http:// bawkumunicipal.ghanadistrict.gov. GH on 2nd May, 2020.
[11] Bernal-Verdugo, M. L. E., Furceri, D., & Guillaume, M. D. M. (2013). The dynamic effect of social and political instability on output: the role of reforms. International Monetary Fund.
[12] Boafo-Arthur, K. (2003). Chieftaincy in Ghana: Challenges and prospects in the 21st Century. African and Asian Studies, 2 (2), 125-153.
[13] Bobbie, E. R & Rubin, A. (2014). Research Methods for Social Work (8th edition). USA, Jon-David Hague.
[14] Botchwey, G. A. (2006). Steps to self-reliance for groups and communities. Cape Coast: Catholic Mission Press.
[15] Bowen, P., Rose, R., Pilkington, A. (2017). Mixed Methods- Theory and Practice. Sequential, Explanatory Approach. International Journal of Quantitative and Qualitative Research Methods. Vol. 5, No. 2, pp. 10-27.
[16] Braun, V. and Clarke, V. (2008). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology. 3 (2), 77-101.
[17] Bruce, M. (2006). Conflict and Development: Peacebuilding and Post-conflict Resolution; Sixth Report of Session 2005-06 (Vol. 2). The Stationery Office.
[18] Bundervoet, T. and Verwimp, P. (2005), Civil War and Economic Sanctions: An Analysis of Anthropometric Outcomes in Burundi", HiCN Working Paper no. 11, Households in Conflict Network, University of Sussex, UK.
[19] Coleman, P. T. (2000). Intractable Conflicts. In M. Deutch & P. T. Coleman (Eds.). The handbook of conflict resolution: Theory and practice. San Francisco: Josse Bass.
[20] Colletta, N. J., & Cullen, M. L. (2000). The nexus between violent conflict, social capital and social cohesion: Case studies from Cambodia and Rwanda (No. 22852, pp. 1-0). The World Bank.
[21] Coser, L. A. (1956). The Functions of Social Conflict. London: Routledge / Kegan Paul Limited.
[22] Creswell, J. W., Plano Clark, V. L., Gutmann, M. L. and Hanson, W. E. (2003). Advanced mixed methods research designs. In A. Tashakkori, C. Teddlie (Eds.), Handbook of mixed methods in social and behavioral research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 209–240.
[23] Dankwa, O. A. (2004). The Institution of Chieftaincy in Ghana: The Future. Accra, Ghana: Gold Type Ltd.
[24] De Walque, D. (2004). The Long-term Legacy of the Khmer Rouge period in Cambodia: Policy Research Working Paper Series 3446, the World Bank.
[25] Ejumudo, K. B. O. (2013). The problematic of development planning in Nigeria: A critical discourse. Developing Country Studies, 3 (4), 67-80.
[26] Fearon, J. & Laitin, D. (2003). “Ethnicity, Insurgency and Civil War”: American Political Science Review 97 (1): 75-90. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3118222.
[27] Francis, D. J. (2006). Peace and conflict studies: An African overview of basic concepts. In: G. S. Best (Ed.), Introduction to peace and conflict studies in West Africa: A Reader. Ibadan: Spectrum Books, 15-35.
[28] Gasper, D. (2005). Securing humanity: situating ‘human security ‘as concept and discourse. Journal of Human Development, 6 (2), 221-245.
[29] Gentles, S. J., Charles, C., Ploeg, J., & McKibbon, K. A. (2015). Sampling in qualitative research: Insights from an overview of the methods literature. The qualitative report, 20 (11), 1772-1789
[30] Ghana Statistical Service (2012). 2010 population and housing census. Accra: Statistical Service. http://www.ghanastatiscalservice.com/populationcensus.htm.
[31] Ghana Statistical Service. (2015). Ghana poverty mapping report. Accessed: www.statsghana.gov.gh on 13th March, 2020.
[32] Government of Ghana. The Constitution of the Republic of Ghana; Asempa Publishers: Accra, Ghana, 1992.
[33] Gyeke, K. (1994).Taking Development Seriously: Wiley. Journal of Applied Philosophy, 11, (1), pp. 45-56. URL: https://www.jstor.org.
[34] Hoover, A. and Krishnamurti, S. (2010). Survey of college students. MP3 listening: Habits safety issues, attitudes, and education. American Journal of Audiology, 19, 73- 83.
[35] Ijeoma, N. B (2014). Impact of Cost of Conflict on Economic Development in Nigeria. International Journal of Open Scientific Research Vol. 2, No. 1, 13-3. Available at www.kindipublication.com ISSN: 2336-0046.
[36] Israel, G. D. (2003). Determining sample size (Tech. Rep. No. PEOD- 6. University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Florida.
[37] Justino, P. (2008). The Impact of Armed Civil Conflict on Household Welfare and Policy Responses, Background paper, World Economic and Social Survey 2008, United Nations.
[38] Justino, P. Verwimp, P. (2006). Poverty Dynamics, Violent Conflict and Convergence in Rwanda: HiCN Working Papers 16. Households in Conflict Network.
[39] Knierzinger, J. Chieftaincy and Development in Ghana: From Political Intermediaries to Neotraditional Development Brokers; Working Papers of the Department of Anthropology and African Studies of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz; Arbeitspapiere des Instituts für Ethnologie und Afrikastudien der Johannes Gutenberg- Universität Mainz: Mainz, Germany, 2011; p. 124.
[40] Lacina, B. and N. P. Gleditsch. (2005). Monitoring Trends in Global Combat: A New Dataset of Battle Deaths, European Journal of Population, 21 (2-3): 145-166.
[41] Longi, F. Y. (2014). The Kusasi-Mamprusi Conflict in Bawku: A Legacy of British Colonial Policy in Northern Ghana. Ghana Studies, 17 (1), 157-176.
[42] Nationen, V. United Nations Development Programme (1994): Human Development Report 1994.
[43] Neuman, W. L. (2014). Basics of social research. Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.
[44] Odotei, I. K., Awedoba A. K. (2006). Chieftaincy in Ghana: Culture, Governance, and Development (ed.) Accra: Sub-Saharan Publishers.
[45] Olaosebikan, A. J. (2010). Conflicts in Africa: Meaning, Causes, Impact and Solution: An International Multi-Disciplinary Journal, Vol. 4.
[46] Putnam, R. (2000). The Collapse and Revival of American Community. Simon & Schuster, New York.
[47] Report of the Opoku Afari Commission of Inquiry into the causes of Mamprusi Kusasi Ethnic clashes, December 1958.
[48] Shemyakina, O. (2011). The effect of armed conflict on an accumulation of schooling: Results from Tajikistan. Journal of Development Economics, 95 (2), 186-200.
[49] Stglitz, J. (1998). Toward a new Paradigm for Development: Strategies, Policies, and Processes: Prebisch lecture at UNCTAD, Geneva October. pp. 1.
[50] Tonah, S., & Anamzoya, A. S. (2016). Managing chieftaincy and ethnic conflicts in Ghana. Woeli Publishing Services. Also available at www.woelipublishing.com.
[51] WHO (2001). “Putting Women First: Ethical and Safety Recommendations for Research on Domestic Violence against Women”. Geneva: World Health Organization, http://www.who.int/gender/documents/violence/who_fch_gwh_01.1/en/.
[52] Wood, E. J. (2008). The social processes of civil war: The wartime transformation of social networks. Annu. Rev. Polit. Sci., 11, 539-561.
Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Lawrence Opoku Agyeman, Justice Kufour Owusu-Ansah, Matilda Ayeltige. (2022). Development Implications of Chieftaincy Conflicts in Bawku Traditional Area, Ghana. International Journal of Sustainable Development Research, 8(2), 92-98. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsdr.20220802.18

    Copy | Download

    ACS Style

    Lawrence Opoku Agyeman; Justice Kufour Owusu-Ansah; Matilda Ayeltige. Development Implications of Chieftaincy Conflicts in Bawku Traditional Area, Ghana. Int. J. Sustain. Dev. Res. 2022, 8(2), 92-98. doi: 10.11648/j.ijsdr.20220802.18

    Copy | Download

    AMA Style

    Lawrence Opoku Agyeman, Justice Kufour Owusu-Ansah, Matilda Ayeltige. Development Implications of Chieftaincy Conflicts in Bawku Traditional Area, Ghana. Int J Sustain Dev Res. 2022;8(2):92-98. doi: 10.11648/j.ijsdr.20220802.18

    Copy | Download

  • @article{10.11648/j.ijsdr.20220802.18,
      author = {Lawrence Opoku Agyeman and Justice Kufour Owusu-Ansah and Matilda Ayeltige},
      title = {Development Implications of Chieftaincy Conflicts in Bawku Traditional Area, Ghana},
      journal = {International Journal of Sustainable Development Research},
      volume = {8},
      number = {2},
      pages = {92-98},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ijsdr.20220802.18},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsdr.20220802.18},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijsdr.20220802.18},
      abstract = {Several decrees and laws by the new nationalist government have disrupted the customary processes of selecting chiefs from the original family lineage hence contributing to chieftaincy conflicts in Ghana today. This study explores the wide range of development implications of the protracted chieftaincy conflicts between Kusasis and Mamprusis in the Bawku Traditional Area. The study employed systematic sampling techniques to select 200 householders in five spatial locations in the Bawku Traditional Area which have had significant impacts on the conflicts. The data gathered were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The Bawku Inter-Ethnic Peace Committee, Belim Wusa Development Agency, and the Police were selected for in-depth face-to-face interviews to affirm the quantitative data. The Bawku conflict has created social mistrust and fear, economic, physical insecurity, and infrastructural destructions with undesirable consequences on socio-economic development. This has created a pang of severe hunger in Bawku and its environs. This can affect the realization of the sustainable development agenda. The study recommended that the Ghana government through the National Peace Council should embark on intensive media campaigns on the development implications of the conflicts in the Bawku Traditional Area. Besides, the Bawku East District Assembly should create employment opportunities for the youth and assist the victims to overcome the cost incurred on them through the conflict.},
     year = {2022}
    }
    

    Copy | Download

  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Development Implications of Chieftaincy Conflicts in Bawku Traditional Area, Ghana
    AU  - Lawrence Opoku Agyeman
    AU  - Justice Kufour Owusu-Ansah
    AU  - Matilda Ayeltige
    Y1  - 2022/06/30
    PY  - 2022
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsdr.20220802.18
    DO  - 10.11648/j.ijsdr.20220802.18
    T2  - International Journal of Sustainable Development Research
    JF  - International Journal of Sustainable Development Research
    JO  - International Journal of Sustainable Development Research
    SP  - 92
    EP  - 98
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2575-1832
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsdr.20220802.18
    AB  - Several decrees and laws by the new nationalist government have disrupted the customary processes of selecting chiefs from the original family lineage hence contributing to chieftaincy conflicts in Ghana today. This study explores the wide range of development implications of the protracted chieftaincy conflicts between Kusasis and Mamprusis in the Bawku Traditional Area. The study employed systematic sampling techniques to select 200 householders in five spatial locations in the Bawku Traditional Area which have had significant impacts on the conflicts. The data gathered were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The Bawku Inter-Ethnic Peace Committee, Belim Wusa Development Agency, and the Police were selected for in-depth face-to-face interviews to affirm the quantitative data. The Bawku conflict has created social mistrust and fear, economic, physical insecurity, and infrastructural destructions with undesirable consequences on socio-economic development. This has created a pang of severe hunger in Bawku and its environs. This can affect the realization of the sustainable development agenda. The study recommended that the Ghana government through the National Peace Council should embark on intensive media campaigns on the development implications of the conflicts in the Bawku Traditional Area. Besides, the Bawku East District Assembly should create employment opportunities for the youth and assist the victims to overcome the cost incurred on them through the conflict.
    VL  - 8
    IS  - 2
    ER  - 

    Copy | Download

Author Information
  • Department of Community Development, Rural Development College, Kwaso, Ghana

  • Department of Planning, College of Art and Built Environment, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana

  • Department of Planning, College of Art and Built Environment, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana

  • Sections