Waala Chieftaincy Disputes and Indigenous Conflict Resolution in Ghana

The book is based on the author's Doctoral Thesis, which assessed the Nature of Chieftaincy Disputes and the Indigenous Dispute Resolution among the Waala of the Upper West Region of Ghana. The thesis endeavours to address several essential questions which assisted the re-searcher in documenting the findings of the study. Chieftaincy disputes tend to be overlooked by the authorities expected to resolve them; probably because they perceive such conflicts as tractable and not complex. There are provisions within Waala society and in the Kingdom for indigenous means of dispute resolution that have been relegated to the background. It was discovered in the study that these indigenous approaches have the potency to resolve chieftaincy conflicts among the Waala royals. The Waala monarchy and the Wa Naa are the custodians of Waala customs and culture which pro-vide transparent processes for the choice of a new Wa Naa and other leaders and any conflicts arising thereof. The study discovers that the use of formal law courts has not been effective in resolving the persistent Wa chieftaincy conflict. It also discovers that a disregard for indigenous conflict resolution approach had been a contributory factor to the inability of feuding parties to find a solution to the persistent Wa chieftaincy conflict. It was revealed that the Wa chieftaincy con-flict had affected local development and advancement. This book highlights the indigenous method of chieftaincy conflict resolution of the Waala people of the Upper West Region in Ghana.