As Ghana embarks on the crucial task of re-examining and redesigning its governance architecture, one foundational question stands out as unavoidable and urgent: What meaningful role should traditional authorities play in the governance of a modern democratic Ghana?
For too long, this conversation has hovered at the periphery of national debate, often overshadowed by party politics, economic issues or constitutional discussions. When it has surfaced, it has frequently been reduced to ceremonial symbolism or cultural preservation. Yet, the deeper truth is that the sustainability of Ghana’s political stability and our ability to govern fairly across ethnic, regional and socio-cultural lines may depend significantly on how we confront and resolve this question.
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Traditional authority is not an optional accessory to Ghana’s identity; it is one of its foundational pillars. Long before the emergence of the modern state, before parliamentary democracy and well before political parties such as the NPP and NDC became dominant actors in national life, traditional institutions were the bedrock of governance.
Chiefs served as mediators, custodians of communal land, defenders of customary values, guardians of justice and leaders who held societies together through droughts, wars, migrations and generational transitions. Their institutions have survived empires, colonial rule, independence struggles and political upheavals. Even today, in many Ghanaian communities, the moral authority of a chief is trusted more deeply than that of any elected official.
Despite this enduring influence, traditional authorities remain conspicuously absent from the upper levels of national decision-making. Although the 1992 Constitution acknowledges the chieftaincy institution, it restricts its political role to such an extent that chiefs are praised ceremonially but sidelined structurally. They are occasionally consulted, often at the discretion of governments, but rarely do they participate meaningfully in shaping legislation, national development strategies, land policy or natural resource governance even though these issues affect their communities directly and, in many cases, exclusively.
This disconnect has created a paradox that cannot be ignored. Traditional authorities are indispensable to community cohesion, land administration and cultural preservation, yet they are excluded from the very forums where national decisions about land, culture, identity and development are made. This gap has weakened both the state and the chieftaincy institution, creating inefficiencies, misunderstandings and unnecessary tensions between national and local governance.
The proposed Hybrid Parliamentary System offers an opportunity to correct this imbalance. If Ghana is serious about creating a governance framework that is both inclusive and culturally grounded, then traditional authorities must be given a formal, respected and constitutionally secure role, not as partisan actors but as guardians of national cohesion and custodians of indigenous knowledge. The new system envisions the establishment of a Traditional Leaders Advisory Chamber, connected to the Upper House, the National Cohesion and Regions Council. This chamber would give chiefs structured influence over legislation and policy, particularly in areas closely tied to culture, land, natural resources, customary law and community governance.
This proposal is not an attempt to revive pre-colonial governance systems, nor is it a mechanism for drawing chiefs into partisan competition. Instead, it seeks to emulate the successful models of countries such as Botswana, South Africa and New Zealand, where traditional and indigenous authorities have been harmonised with democratic institutions. In Botswana, the Ntlo ya Dikgosi (House of Chiefs) reviews bills affecting customary law, land and culture, ensuring that legislation aligns with community realities. South Africa’s National House of Traditional Leaders advises Parliament on matters of indigenous governance and plays a stabilising role in community engagement. New Zealand’s Treaty of Waitangi framework protects Maori rights and ensures that indigenous voices participate in state decisions. These models demonstrate that modern democratic systems do not weaken traditional institutions when they integrate them; rather, they strengthen governance, deepen community trust and reduce state–society tensions.
Ghana has even stronger reasons to institutionalise such integration. More than 70 percent of Ghana’s land is held under customary tenure, administered by chiefs and family heads. Traditional authorities arbitrate disputes daily, lead community development initiatives and remain deeply trusted by their people. Excluding them from national-level governance is not only inefficient; it amounts to ignoring the lived political and social realities of millions of Ghanaians.
Moreover, traditional leaders possess qualities that contemporary politics often lacks: moral legitimacy, non-partisanship, continuity and generational thinking. Chiefs do not operate on four-year political timelines. Their focus is long-term, grounded in communal responsibility rather than electoral survival. They do not abandon projects because they were initiated by rivals, nor do they fracture their communities along party lines. Their stability and moral authority are assets Ghana cannot afford to underutilise.
Nonetheless, incorporating traditional authorities into national governance requires careful design. The risk of partisan capture is real, and traditional leaders must remain strictly non-partisan to safeguard their legitimacy. Their role should be advisory rather than executive, constitutional rather than political and stabilising rather than divisive. A well-crafted constitutional arrangement can give chiefs influence without compromising democratic accountability.
If Ghana successfully integrates traditional authorities into its modern governance structures, the country will gain a more balanced system; one that respects our cultural foundations, strengthens regional representation, enhances legitimacy and brings state power closer to the people. Chiefs will not supplant elected leaders, but they will complement them. They will provide a cultural compass, a stabilising presence and a reservoir of indigenous knowledge that modern institutions desperately need.
The moment has come for Ghana to confront this question with honesty and vision: How can we weave the wisdom of our ancestors into the political fabric of our future? Traditional authorities must not remain spectators in the governance of the country they helped build. They must become trusted partners, with clear roles, legal protection and institutional recognition.
If this integration is done wisely, Ghana will not only strengthen its governance architecture but also deepen national unity, reduce political tension and build a democratic future firmly rooted in its cultural heritage. This conversation is no longer optional; it is fundamental to the next phase of nation-building.
Let the debate begin but not with fear or nostalgia but with courage and purpose.
