Ho, Mar. 02, GNA-Mr Alexander Asum-Ahensah, Minister for Chieftaincy and Culture, on Wednesday said a Royal College would soon be established for chiefs in the country. He said the College would upgrade the knowledge of chiefs on their authority and privileges among other things. Mr Asum-Ahensah said this at the third annual Chiefs and Clergy Consultative Summit, 2011 in Ho.

The Summit, under the auspices of Christian Agape Ministries Network (CAMNET), in collaboration with concerned Christian churches in the Volta region was on the theme: 93Chiefs and clergy uniting to develop the Volta region."

Mr Asum-Ahensah said the College would prepare chiefs better to be development agents and minimize chieftaincy and land disputes in the country and called for the support of all. He underscored the important roles the clergy and traditional authorities play in the socio-economic development of the country and commended the organizers of the event for bringing the two "development partners together."

Mr Asum-Ahensah noted that traditional authorities provided justice and good governance in their traditional areas to support government, while religious bodies also partner government in the areas of formal education and health. He however charged them to go a step further to protect the good aspects of the Ghanaian culture which was being influenced negatively by globalization.

"For instance, some of our languages are disappearing and the manner of dressing especially among the youth is provocative, undermining social decency." Colonel Cyril Necku (rtd), Deputy Volta Regional Minister charged the clergy and traditional authorities to reflect exemplary lifestyle and be role models.

"I urge you to strive to live above reproach in order to have the moral confidence to guide and shape life in our society", he said. Col. Necku said land and chieftaincy issues remained major bottlenecks militating against rapid development of the region and appealed to participants to address such issues at the Summit. Apostle Ernest Adjiwu, CAMNET Chairman, said the aims of the Summit included the creation of an educative and informative platform for the leaders about the rich cultural heritage of the Ewe land. He said it was also to demystify the Christian faith and equip both parties with confidence to co-exist and cooperate to develop the communities in peace. 02 Mar. 11