Accra, Feb 12, GNA - The Ministry of Chieftaincy and Culture would continue to provide budgetary allocations to the National and Regional Houses of Chiefs in the exercise of the original and appellate jurisdictions among other functions, Mr Alex Asum-Ahensah, the sector Minister said on Thursday.

Answering questions on the floor of parliament, Mr Asum-Ahensah said all these efforts were aimed at deepening local administration and good governance.

Mr Kwasi Ameyaw Cheremeh, the Member for Sunyani East, had asked the Minister what measures the Ministry was putting in place to minimize chieftaincy conflicts in the country as a whole and the Brong-Ahafo Region in particular.

Mr Asum-Ahensah said the Ministry was created in 2006 to ensure the codification of Lines of Succession which the National House of Chiefs is carrying out. He said lack of funds was what was hampering the progress of the project to codify Lines of succession so as to rid Ghana of chieftaincy disputes. Mr Asum-Ahensah said the Ministry was working closely with the Ministry of Local government and Rural Development to put in place arrangements under which the regional coordinating councils the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies would support financial and other logistical support to these institutions in their respective areas to enable them to effectively and efficiently dispatch their duties including the adjudication of chieftaincy disputes. He said it was hoped that when this arrangement became operational the problem of sitting allowances to members of the Judicial committee would be solved and cases can be heard regularly.

Mr Asum-Ahensah said in the Brong-Ahafo Region the Judicial Committee of the Regional House of Chiefs had succeeded in disposing of 10 out of 64 cases by January 2010.