ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION BY CHIEFS AND TENDAMBA: A CASE STUDY OF KUMASI AND WA TRADITIONAL AREAS

Abstract

Land is a very important natural resource without which man would have been unable to support lots of his socio-economic needs. Populations in the world over have increased considerably over the last few decades and that of Ghana is no exception. In Ghana, this increasing population has reflected in an extensive demand for land for agricultural, residential, commercial and small-scale industrial activities. This competitive trend of land demand has, however, left behind numerous recorded land disputes. The effects of these disputes cannot be overemphasised. This study highlights the challenges with the state court land dispute resolution systems in Ghana and how best the customary courts can serve as an alternative in resolving land disputes. It also focuses on 1 2 land dispute resolution by Chiefs and Tendamba. Finally, the paper offers some propositions for the use of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanisms in land dispute resolution and intervention models required to strengthen the ADR process in Ghana.