Government endorses Otumfuo-led Bawku mediation report

The government has fully endorsed the Bawku Conflict Mediation Report presented by Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, accepting all findings and recommendations aimed at restoring lasting peace.

The endorsement was announced in an official statement from the Presidency after the Asantehene visited Jubilee House on Tuesday to present his report, following months of mediation efforts hosted at the Manhyia Palace.

“The government fully endorses and accepts all the findings and recommendations contained in the Mediation Report,” the statement said, describing the document as “a comprehensive, fact-based, and forward-looking roadmap aimed exclusively at achieving lasting peace, reconciliation, and stability in Bawku and its surrounding areas.”

Government stressed that the mediation outcomes were not intended to assign blame or declare winners, but to promote national cohesion and constitutional order.

The statement noted that the report aligns with the country’s legal framework, particularly Supreme Court decisions on the Bawku chieftaincy matter.

“In particular, the Government affirms the unequivocal position of the law, as consistently upheld by the Supreme Court of Ghana, that Naba Asigri Abugrago Azoka II is the lawful Bawku Naba,” the Presidency stated, adding that no individual or group is permitted to challenge his authority.

As part of the accepted recommendations, government said it would support the recall of Alhaji Seidu Abagre, described as a rival claimant, to Nalerigu to assume an alternative traditional role under the Nayiri.

“Government will immediately facilitate the safe movement of Alhaji Seidu Abagre to Nalerigu,” the statement said.

The Presidency also acknowledged the severe social and economic toll of the protracted conflict, citing lost lives, weakened livelihoods, and stalled development.

In response, President John Dramani Mahama has directed the establishment of a GHS1 billion Bawku Revitalisation Fund to support reconstruction and economic recovery over a three-year period.

Government further appealed for national support for the peace process, urging traditional authorities, political leaders, youth groups, civil society and religious bodies to act with restraint and unity.

“There are no winners and no losers in this process,” the statement quoted Otumfuo Osei Tutu II as admonishing, while President Mahama urged all parties to “accept and faithfully abide by the conclusions and recommendations of the Mediation Report in the supreme interest of peace and national stability.”