The Brong-Ahafo regional minister, Mr. Kwadwo Nyamekye Marfo, has said that chieftaincy and land disputes constitute the majority of all conflicts and disputes that confront the region and called on stakeholders to step up efforts at addressing them.

Mr. Nyamekye Marfo said the regional Security Council has however on numerous occassions played a lead role in finding lasting solutions to these problems with collaboration from key stakeholders and agencies such as the regional peace council, the regional house of chiefs, religious organizations and the law courts.

The regional minister recalled the Techiman-Tuobodom chieftaincy conflict where misunderstanding over owing allegiance to either the Techiman stool or the Asante stool nearly led to bloodshed.

Mr. Nyamekye Marfo was speaking at the opening ceremony of a five –day workshop on Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) at the Catholic University College in Sunyani. He pointed out that conflicts could degenerate into violence and destruction if they are not addressed promptly.

The regional minister was therefore not happy about the slow nature of the country’s court system which has led to a backlog of cases, the expensive nature of seeking redress in court which has made it inaccessible to the poor and vulnerable in the society, the cumbersome judicial process which makes it unattractive to some members of the society.

It is for the reasons above that the regional minister believes that alternative dispute resolution is the best option for resolving conflicts. Mr. Nyamekye Marfo therefore charged the participants to master the art of alternative resolution to ensure a win-win situation in all conflict cases.

The ADR programme, which would lead to the establishment of the Marian Conflict Resolution Center at the Catholic University College, is a sensitization and training conference mediation aimed at providing required skills in conflict resolution. Participants who finish the programme would be qualified as mediators.

Source: Francis Owusu-Ansah, Space FM, Sunyani