THE ROLE OF TRADITIONAL AUTHORITIES IN THE DECENTRALISATION OF POLITICAL POWER. A STUDY OF THE AKUAPEM TRADITIONAL AREA IN THE EASTERN REGION OF GHANA.

AN OUTLINE OF A THESIS

Introduction

Background to the study

Traditional governance system, is an age-old method by which the Indigenous people administered their own affairs prior to and after the advent of the Europeans into the region of modern Ghana. This system of governance is led by leaders multifariously referred to in English as chiefs, traditional authorities, tradi­tional rulers, monarchs, kings, nobles, aristocrats, and natural rulers in a variety of African and other context. Traditional system of governance varies considerably among the different peoples that occupied the region of modern Ghana. While some groups developed very complex hierarchical structures, others had simple kin-based structure.

Several definitions of traditional societies rely on the distinction between pre-colonial colonial and post-colonial times. For example, the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention no. 169 states that: “A people are considered indigenous either because they are descendants of those who lived in the area before colonization; or because they have maintained their own social, economic, cultural and political institutions since colonization and the establishment of new states.

And according to the Martinéz Cobo Report to the UN Sub-Commission on the Prevention of Discrimination of Minorities (1986), indigenous peoples may be identified as follows: “Indigenous communities, peoples and nations are those which, having a historical continuity with pre-invasion and pre-colonial societies that developed on their territories, consider themselves distinct from other sectors of the societies now prevailing in those territories, or parts of them. They form at present non-dominant sectors of society and are determined to preserve, develop and transmit to future generations their ancestral territories, and their ethnic identity, as the basis of their continued existence as peoples, in accordance with their own cultural patterns, social institutions and legal systems.”

The office of traditional Authorities has been transformed as it has performed various functions back from the pre-colonial era through the colonial period to the present. Before the colonial period, traditional rulers had considerable influence and exercised considerable sovereignty within their areas of jurisdiction with their authority in both spiritual and secular matters.

During the colonial period, they became virtual sub-agents of the colonial government in the areas of local government and judicial matters. In this period, various legislations and statutes enacted by the colonial authority prescribed the traditional ruler’s political role.

Decentralization is basically described as the practice of the administration in a state by which considerable autonomy is given to sub-political governmental bodies at the local level to take decisions and implement programmes and policies. In Ghana it is also known as the local government system or the district assembly concept. The idea behind this system is to get the local people to use local resources to develop their localities. The present local government system has three-tier structure comprising the Regional coordinating council, the District assemblies and the Area, Town and Village Councils or Unit committees.