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“We need concerted effort at addressing internal conflicts around chieftaincy, economic and other social issues”
The Director at the Governance, Justice and Peace Directorate of the National Catholic Secretariat, Very Rev Father Clement Kwasi Adjei has called for concerted effort at addressing internal conflicts around chieftaincy, economic and other social issues in the country in order not to serve as fertile grounds for violent extremism.
He noted that activities of terrorists and extremists in neighbouring countries such as Burkina Faso, Togo, among others, put Ghana at risk and was therefore imperative that stakeholders took immediate action to protect the nation through amicable and timely conflict resolution.
He stated that issues such as chieftaincy and tribal conflicts as well as illicit trafficking made communities weaker and less resilient and served as possible pull factors for Jihadists .
Rv. Fr. Adjei stated this on Tuesday at Wa in the Upper West Region during a regional dialogue session on trending conflict issues in northern Ghana under the Sahel Peace Initiative (SPI) by the Catholic Relieve Services (CRS).
The Dialogue which was on the theme: “Trending Conflicts in Ghana: Fertile Grounds for Violent Extremism; A call for Action” brought together traditional rulers, religious, leadership of market women, persons with disabilities, the clergy, among others.
The SPI which was at the instance of the Catholic Church aimed at promoting peace and building a cohesive society to ensure that individuals living in Ghana experienced greater levels of peace, social cohesion and resiliency.
Rv Fr Adjei said the five northern regions, namely, Upper West, Upper East, Northern, North East, Savannah and Northern Regions were at risk of violent extremism as they bordered the Sahel Regions and shared more than 500 kilometres of borders with Burkina Faso, a country under insurgency.
“As we speak, the Bawku District which borders Burkina Faso and Togo and the Sissala East District which borders Nazinga Forest in Burkina Faso have been experiencing increasing spillover of violent extremist related activities”, he noted with concern.
Economic disparities, he noted further, was also a recipe for conflict and needed to be addressed by governments by creating opportunities for all Ghanaians regardless their background or circumstances, in the areas of education, job creation and entrepreneurship.
“We need to strengthen social cohesion and promote tolerance and respect for diversity by building bridges between different communities, promote dialogue and understanding, unity and cooperation and do away with hate speech and incitement to”, he enumerated.
In a speech on his behalf, the Upper West Regional Minister Dr Hafiz Bin Salih said government had put in place necessary measures to ensure that citizens were better protected.
He encouraged the public to play their part through vigilance and reporting of suspicious people and activities to the appropriate authorities for action, and also charged religious leaders to ensure their sermons were devoid of messages that fueled agitations and dissentions.
Some participants expressed concern about the springing up of youth camps in the region with membership mostly made up of unemployed young persons who were ready to accept any task to earn an income.
They were of the view that taking security measures included providing permanent decent jobs for the youth without recourse to nepotism.
FROM LYDIA DARLINGTON FORDJOUR, WA
President John Dramani Mahama has commissioned four career diplomats as ambassador-designates to represent Ghana in four countries.
The commissioning ceremony took place on Friday, October 16, 2026.
The new envoys are Her Excellency Nana Antwiwaa Dodoo, Ambassador-Designate to Angola; His Excellency Louis Kwame Obeng, Ambassador-Designate to Qatar; Her Excellency Evelyn Korantemaa Ofosu-Amable, Ambassador-Designate to Israel; and His Excellency Jedidiah Reuben Adogla, Permanent Representative-Designate to Switzerland.
President Mahama charged them to advance Ghana’s national interests through strategic partnerships, economic diplomacy, investment mobilization, and expanded access to international markets.
He said Ghana’s diplomatic engagements must deliver tangible economic benefits, create jobs, and strengthen the country’s standing on the international stage.
The four envoys are career diplomats with over 27 years of experience.
On behalf of her colleagues, Her Excellency Nana Antwiwaa Dodoo thanked the President for the confidence reposed in them and pledged their commitment to emulate his leadership and deliver on the mandate given to them.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
The professor who spends his days exploring the intricacies of African languages found himself at the centre of a different kind of lesson on Friday, October 2, 2026. 
This time, there were no lecture notes, academic arguments or university classrooms. Instead, there was the weight of tradition, the rhythm of a community celebration and the solemnity of an oath at a royal palace.
Professor Ọbádélé Kambon, a full Professor of African Linguistics at the University of Ghana, was enstooled as Apagyahene and Sunsum Ɔsahene of Akuapem Mampong in the Eastern Region in a ceremony that brought academia and traditional authority together.
For the professor, the occasion was more than a new title. It was a moment that connected his academic interests in African languages and indigenous knowledge with the living traditions of an Akan community.
The day’s events unfolded through a series of customary observances. Kambon was first taken to the compounds of the Ɔkyeamehene and Gyasehene, where the preparations for his installation continued.
Then came the application of hyire, the white kaolin powder associated with traditional rites.
With the customary proceedings underway, the new chief was lifted onto the shoulders of celebrants and carried along the main thoroughfare of Akuapem Mampong.
The procession transformed the streets into a public stage for a ceremony rooted in the community’s traditional institutions.
There was something striking about the image, a university professor, accustomed to the measured language of academic discourse, being carried through the town in a display of traditional recognition.
Yet the celebration was not complete with the procession.
A ram was sacrificed at the Mamponghene’s compound before Kambon was taken to the palace, to swear the oath associated with his new offices.
The ceremony brought him formally into his roles as Apagyahene and Sunsum Ɔsahene.
Beyond the colourful proceedings, the titles themselves carry layers of historical meaning.
Kambon in his research explores the historical connections between Apagya and Akan political and military organisation.
Accounts cited in his work linked Apagya to an asafo, or military company, while historical writing traces an Apagya stool in Asante to the reign of Opoku Ware I in the eighteenth century.
These historical associations offer a glimpse into the institutions that have shaped Akan society over generations, although they do not automatically define the precise responsibilities of the office in Akuapem Mampong.
Kambon’s own professional life reflects a similar interest in preserving and examining African knowledge.
His work encompasses Akan language structure, naming practices across the Black world, proverbs and indigenous intellectual traditions.
Through Abibitumi, the platform he founded, he also promotes language learning, scholarship and cultural engagement.
But tradition was only one part of the story that day.
When the formal ceremony gave way to a reception, the occasion expanded into a celebration of three milestones: Kambon’s enstoolment, his promotion to full professor and his daughter Ama’s admission to the University of Ghana.
The gathering therefore carried a personal significance that went beyond the honours bestowed on one man. 
It celebrated professional advancement, the continuation of family aspirations and a connection to cultural heritage.
For a father, seeing a daughter gain admission to the same university where he holds a distinguished academic position offered another reason to celebrate.
For the professor, the moment placed family achievement alongside his own professional and traditional milestones.
Kambon had already established a place in the traditional life of Akuapem Mampɔn through an earlier installation as Banmuhene Kyidɔmhene, recorded in 2017.
His latest enstoolment adds another chapter to that relationship.
In Akuapem Mampɔn, the day brought together the university, the palace and the family table in one celebration. And for Kambon, the journey from the lecture room to the traditional procession showed how scholarship, cultural responsibility and family achievement could converge in a single memorable occasion.
By Enoch Ntiamoah Siaw
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