Role of Traditional authorities in Ethnic Conflict Management

The book examined role of traditional authorities in ethnic conflict management and resolution in the East Gonja and Kpandai districts in the Northern Region of Ghana. Case study research design was employed for the study. The study population included chiefs, opinion leaders, youth leaders, governmental and non-governmental agencies interested in peace-building and development in the two districts. Purposive sampling technique was employed to sample 28 respondents for the study. Both primary and secondary data were used. In-depth interview guides were used in interviewing the respondents. The contents, case and inductive analyses were adopted in organizing and analyzing the data. The study revealed that the origins of the violent ethnic conflicts between the historically non-centralized ethnic groups and their centralized neighbors in the districts are rooted in the colonial legacy and policy, and strengthened by globalisation. These factors undoubtedly influenced the conflicts. Most of the actors in the ethnic conflicts in the East Gonja and Kpandai districts involved all the feuding ethnic groups but politicians and the elites in the society worsened the situation.