Traditional Leadership and Conflict Management in Africa: An Examination of the Bole Chieftaincy in Ghana

Many scholars have studied the roles of traditional leaders in a democracy, social cohesion, political participation, and cultural heritage preservation. However, the extent to which their roles impact conflict management has not received much academic attention. This study attempts to bridge this gap. The main objective of the study is to examine traditional leadership and conflict management in Africa, and the theory employed is a subjective or objective approach to conflict management. The study employed a mixed method. Approached and cross-sectional design, questionnaires, and interviews were used to solicit primary data from 364 respondents. The target population for the study was the members of the three chieftaincy gates, which are Sarfope, Jagape, and Denkeripe. Simple random sampling for quantitative data and the snowball sampling technique were used to select key informants; descriptive analysis and correlational analysis were used to ascertain the relationship between traditional leadership and conflict management; and a relative importance index was used to identify the conflict resolution mechanisms in the Bole Traditional Area of Northern Ghana. The analyses revealed that traditional leaders’ roles have a positive impact on conflict management and collaborate with the central authority in conflict management in Ghana, but that this role is hampered by interference, corruption, inadequate resources, and conflicts of interest. The study recommends that the state put in place measures to improve the leadership skills of traditional rulers, increase collaboration between traditional and central authorities, and increase budgetary allocations for traditional authorities.