Techiman (B/A), April 27, GNA - A senior programme officer of Konrad Adenaeur Stiftung, a German foundation, has decried the reliance of traditional authorities on political and economic benefactors for their sustenance and the development of their communities. Mr Isaac Owusu-Mensah said traditional authorities were "pillars of socio-economic development" who must be supported by the state and its agencies for community development.

He was addressing the opening of a five-day course at Techiman for 50 queen mothers drawn from the southern sector of the country.

The course, on the theme: "Role of traditional authorities in natural resources management", was organised by Centre for Indigenous Knowledge and Organisation Development (CIKOD), in collaboration with the Centre for Development Studies of the University of Cape Coast. It was sponsored by the German foundation and was aimed at building the capacity of the traditional rulers to effectively manage natural resources for the socio-economic development of their areas. Mr Owusu-Mensah described traditional leaders as proprietors of the society, stating the need for institutions to work more closely with them to bring changes in the communities.

Mr Bernard Guri, Executive Director of CIKOD, lauded the role of queen mothers in mobilising communities for development activities, particularly in the areas of health, education and income generating ventures for rural women.

He said 0the course was part of three course modules developed by the Centre of Development Studies of the University of Cape Coast and expressed the hope that the course would build the leadership capacity of human resources in their areas.

In an address read for him, Mr. Sampson Kwaku Boafo, Minister of Chieftaincy Affairs and Culture, said the vision of the ministry was to preserve, sustain and integrate traditional and cultural values and practices to accelerate wealth creation and harmony for total national development.

He added that the Ministry was working tirelessly to solve the numerous chieftaincy disputes, which had been the bane of the institution and asked the chiefs to unite to accelerate national development.

Mr. Boafo announced that a new draft bill for chieftaincy was being processed and was currently lodged at the Attorney General's Department "for fine tuning".

He appealed to traditional authorities to assist district assemblies to enact environmental bylaws to help prevent the degradation of the environment, especially in the use of toxic substances in mining, inland fishing and farming at water shed areas.

Mr Ignatius Baffour-Awuah, Brong-Ahafo Regional Minister, described the course as timely, considering the fact that natural resources management in the Region was high on the agenda of the Regional Co-ordinating Council, especially in the areas of mining, logging and wildfire management.

He expressed delight that traditional leaders who were the embodiment of cultures and custodians of land were being involved in natural resources management and utilisation, which he said could go a long way to provide a uniform voice between government and the chiefs in the fight against environmental degradation.

Nana Afia Abrafi Kotoo, queen mother of Techiman traditional area for more than 67 years, who presided, appealed to the participants to take the course seriously in order not to waste the resources of the organisers and sponsors.

She appealed to the Chieftaincy Ministry to offer salaries to queen mothers since they played a significant role in the development of the country.