Kodie (Ash), Nov. 8, GNA - Mr Alexander Asum-Ahensah, the Minister of Chieftaincy and Culture, has appealed to queen mothers to be honest and fairn in the choice of candidates they want to be chiefs. He said succession to stools and skins was the main cause of chieftaincy disputes and appealed to the queen mothers to approach their duties with diligence. Mr Ahensah said this in an address read on his behalf at the inauguration of the Afigya-Kwabre Queen Mothers' Association at Kodie on Saturday.

"The role of queen mothers in promoting traditional values through advocacy for national development" was the theme. The occasion was used to install Nana Adjoa Awindor, National Coordinator of Queen Mothers' Association of Ghana, as the "Development Queen" for the district. The Minister said it was important that chiefs and queen mothers continue to join hands with the government to transform the lives of the people by eradicating obsolete customs. He said in recognition of the roles played by queen mothers, the government had found it necessary to include paramount queen mothers in the payment of monthly allowances to paramount chiefs. In an address read on her behalf, Mrs. Juliana Azuma-Mensah, the Minister for Women and Children Affairs, congratulated the queen mothers for coming together and expressed the hope that they would work to uplift women and children's rights. She said as leaders of the womenfolk, they should not relent in their efforts to mobilize other women in the performance of communal labour and other activities to improve the welfare of mothers and children.

Nana Kofi Abuna, the Chief of Essipong and a member of the Sekondi Traditional Council, appealed to queen mothers to be abreast with events. She said the role of queen mother in using advocacy was needed for national development and this could be done in several ways including sensitization programmes, workshops, drama and in the media. Nana Awindor said it was time queen mothers had a united front as custodians of tradition and culture to promote women's empowerment. She said there was the need for queen mothers to serve as a visible active advocacy group in education, health and nutrition, fight against HIV and AIDS, maternal deaths and infant mortality and also play advisory role in peace making and the general development of the country.