The Minister for Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Stephen Asamoah Boateng, disclosed that more than 70% of the National Security budget is allocated to resolving chieftaincy disputes, emphasizing the substantial drain on national resources caused by these conflicts.
Addressing the Royals Conference organized by the Church of Pentecost at the Pentecost Convention Center in Gomoa Fetteh, Boateng underscored the significant financial impact of these disputes, stating, “Chieftaincy cases are matters of concern to all of us and our body politic because it is on record that over 70% of the National Security budget goes into settling chieftaincy disputes across the country. These monies could have been better used if there were no disputes”.
Regarding policy initiatives, Boateng highlighted the introduction of the proposed National Policy on Religion, aimed at safeguarding individual freedoms and promoting religious harmony.
This policy development involved collaboration with the National Development Planning Commission, the Department for the Study of Religion at Legon, the UNFPA, and church leaders.
He outlined key issues identified during regional consultations for the policy, including religious intolerance, financial exploitation, political interference in religious affairs, noise pollution, and other challenges within the religious landscape.
“On the religious front, my ministry, with the support of various stakeholders, has undertaken regional engagements on the proposed national policy on religion. This exercise solicited input from identified stakeholders concerning issues affecting the religious space in our country,” Boateng noted.
“These are all the issues that came up in our consultation. We also unearthed non-acceptance of inter-religious marriages, child marriage, and forced marriages. Religious fanaticism, noise pollution, money laundering, exploitation of the vulnerable in the religious landscape, limited documentation of the code of conduct of some religious bodies, and false indoctrination, inter- and intra-faith disputes, leadership succession disputes, little or no organizational structure or hierarchy, and incitement to violence sometimes in extreme cases,” he added.
Boateng also emphasized the Ministry’s efforts to strengthen chieftaincy laws to empower traditional leaders in resolving disputes more effectively. He proposed amendments to clarify traditional leaders’ authority, currently a subject of contention in the Supreme Court.
Furthermore, the Minister advocated for the establishment of a Chieftaincy Development Fund and the provision of living allowances for traditional leaders, suggesting these measures as necessary steps to support and sustain the role of traditional leadership in Ghanaian society.