Christian Agape Ministries Network, a group of pastors in the Volta Region, is to provide a platform for chiefs to acquire skills in Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR). The course would be handled by an internationally recognised expert.

Apostle Ernest Kobla Adjiwu, Chairman of the Network announced the initiative at a Consultative Summit of Chiefs and Clergy in the region on Tuesday. The summit, the fourth since 2008 brought the two groups together to forge a common front to champion the development of the region, get to understand each other and work towards eradicating obsolete cultural practices.

More than 500 chiefs and queens from the region are expected to attend the three-day meeting. Apostle Adjiwu acknowledged that the traditional approach to resolve disputes promote reconciliation and unity among parties as opposed to the prolonged adversarial judicial processes of modern times.

He said there is a worldwide shift towards alternative ways of resolving disputes and chiefs have a central role to play in the new thinking and approach because that has been their traditional role.

Apostle Adjiwu said it is therefore necessary to modernise the traditional processes of adjudication through ADR mechanisms, recognised by the 1992 Constitution for expeditious resolution of disputes in a reconciliatory manner. Apostle Adjiwu therefore urged chiefs in the region to take advantage to acquire the special skills involved.

He said ADR would help dispense justice expeditiously to the satisfaction of all parties. Apostle Adjiwu said a major landmark of previous summits helped in expanding the permanent membership of the Volta Region House of Chiefs from 15 to 64 with prospects for further enlargement.

He said indications are that some regions are about to adopt the Consultative Summit initiative to get their chiefs and the clergy to dialogue frequently and adopt common ground to improve on their complementary leadership roles. Some of the chiefs who participated in previous summits said it bridged the misunderstandings between them and some members of the clergy.

Others also said the consultative meetings had helped to clear the misconceptions held by some pastors that the regalia used in adorning chiefs are meant to provide spiritual fortification.

Some of the chiefs also said some elders who took entrenched positions on the performance of some obsolete rituals have relaxed their stance and taken the initiative to scrap those rituals.