WOMEN LEADERS UNDERGO TRAINING (PAGE 11)

OPINION leaders from the three northern regions have selected some traditional women leaders to undergo a capacity-building training programme.
The participants were made up of influential and hardworking women who are expected to translate the knowledge acquired at the training programme into national development.
The programme, organised by the Centre for Indigenous Knowledge and Organisation Department (CIKOD), a non-governmental organisation, is aimed at bringing more women from the northern part of the country on board to support their male counterparts in the development of their region and the country as a whole.
The training programme was on the theme ‘Traditional leadership, gender and conflict management’ and was organised by CIKOD, with support from the Monrad Adenaur Foundation.
The Executive Director of CIKOD, Mr Ben Guri, said his outfit took a cue from the role queens in the south were playing to complement the efforts of the chiefs in their traditional areas.
He expressed the hope that more women from the northern part of the country would be empowered to take up more challenging responsibilities.
Prof. Stephen Kendie of the Centre for Continuing Education and Interdisciplinary Research (CRIER) at the Navrongo campus of the University for Development Studies (UDS) stressed the need for a strong relationship between traditional leaders and the district assemblies, since both needed to make inputs towards development issues.
He also spoke about the attitude of some men in the north towards women, adding, “In our part of the country any time women begin to talk, then there is a problem.”. He said leaders in northern Ghana ought to institute measures to keep more girls in school.
The Upper West Regional Minister, Mr Mahmud Khalid, said the training of the women would equip them with enough skills to effectively participate in local governance.
He said conflicts were tearing the cultural heritage of the people apart, and therefore it was important that they were properly managed.
Mr Khalid mentioned in particular the effects of conflict on the chieftaincy institution, and said people who fomented conflicts must not be allowed to do that with impunity.
He equally urged people not to hesitate to expose all those who fomented trouble, stressing that they must not hide behind ethnicity, religion or chieftaincy to cause trouble.
Mr Khalid also gave a hint of his decision to bring on board very knowledgeable people from the region to act as a think tank to draft a comprehensive development agenda for the region.