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A peaceful Election 2016 is dependent on traditional rulers and recognised leaders in the country as they hold the key to ensuring peace, order and stability in their respective traditional areas and communities.

Mr Wilberforce Laate, Deputy Executive Director, Centre for Indigenous Knowledge and Organisation Development (CIKOD), a civil society organisation promoting development based on “our worldviews and culture”, has said.

Mr Laate said this at a workshop jointly organised by CIKOD and the National House of Chiefs (NHCs) for queen mothers in the Brong-Ahafo Region.

The event was on the theme: “Towards a Peaceful Ghana: The Role of Queen mothers and Traditional Women Leaders in Ensuring Peaceful Election 2016”.

The one-day event, sponsored by Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAF), a German political foundation promoting democracy and good governance in Ghana, was attended by about 90 participants that  comprised 30 paramount queen mothers, 15 divisional queen mothers, representatives of the traditional councils.

It was aimed at “strengthening the capacities of traditional women leaders to better understand their traditional roles and responsibilities in relation to the democratic culture and their role in the upcoming general elections”.

Mr Laate said in many traditional settings, women leaders collaborated very effectively with the youth who are the segment of the electorate most often misused by the politicians to cause disharmony in the society.

He expressed the hope that by highlighting the role of women leaders on the relevance of peace before, during and after the elections, they could moderate the activities of the young men in their localities.

Mr Laate said the women leaders could do that by forming election watchdog committees that would ensure that acts of violence were curtailed and also exposed those who perpetuated such acts.

Dr Isaac Owusu-Mensah, a Political Science Lecturer at the University of Ghana and Programme Manager for KAF, recalled that the Foundation has been working with queen mothers and traditional authorities over past 20 years.

He said within that period, it had been established that traditional authorities had contributed in the governance process in the country.

Dr Owusu-Mensah said KAF decided to assist the NHCs and CIKOD to organise the training programme with the support of key stakeholders - the Electoral Commission, the Police Service and the National Commission for Civic Education to provide the queen mothers with the requisite knowledge and skills to contribute meaningfully to the effort of maintaining national peace.  

Nana Abenaa Boatemaa I, Paramount queen mother of Odumase No. 1 Traditional Area in the Sunyani West District and President, National Council of Women Traditional Leaders, said there is the need for queen mothers to meet and talk to interest groups like the youth association, congregations in churches and mosques in their communities.

Nana Boatemaa, who is also the President of Brong-Ahafo Regional Queen mothers Association, advised the youth to reduce the intake of alcohol during this election period.