Government has formally endorsed and accepted all the findings and recommendations contained in the Bawku Conflict Mediation Report presented by the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, on December 16, 2025, describing it as a comprehensive roadmap towards lasting peace and stability in Bawku and its surrounding areas.
In an official statement signed by the Minister for Government Communications and Spokesperson to the President, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, the government said the report is fact-based and forward-looking, and not intended to apportion blame or declare winners in the long-standing chieftaincy conflict.
Government reaffirmed the position of the law, as consistently upheld by the Supreme Court, that Naba Asigri Abugrago Azoka II is the lawful Bawku Naba, stressing that no individual or group is permitted under any circumstances to challenge his authority or legitimacy.
As part of the mediation recommendations, the government accepted the recall of Alhaji Seidu Abagre, who was installed as a rival claimant, to Nalerigu by the Overlord of Mamprugu, the Nayiri, to assume an alternative traditional role.
The statement indicated that government will immediately facilitate the safe movement of Alhaji Abagre to Nalerigu, where he will await further directives from the Nayiri.
The government also appealed to Otumfuo Osei Tutu II to continue providing leadership and moral authority in subsequent reconciliation efforts aimed at promoting peaceful coexistence between the Mamprusi and Kusasi communities.
Acknowledging the severe human, social and economic toll of the protracted conflict, the government announced the establishment of a One Billion Ghana Cedi (GH¢1 billion) Bawku Revitalisation Fund, following a directive from President John Dramani Mahama to the Minister for Finance.
The fund, to be disbursed over a three-year period from 2026 to 2028, will support the reconstruction and development of critical infrastructure, including roads, health and education facilities, dams and irrigation systems for year-round agriculture, security installations, and economic and commercial infrastructure.
The initiative is aimed at restoring Bawku’s historic role as a major economic and trading hub in Northern Ghana.
Management of the fund will be overseen by a high-level committee chaired by the Minister for Finance and Acting Minister for Defence, Dr. Cassiel Ato Baah Forson.
Other members include the Upper East Regional Minister, Donaltus Akamuguri, and the Majority Leader and Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga, who will represent MPs from the area.
The government called on traditional authorities, political leaders, youth groups, civil society organisations, religious bodies, development partners and the general public to support the peace-building and reconciliation process in the spirit of unity, restraint and patriotism.
Reiterating the Asantehene’s admonition that there are no winners or losers in the mediation process, President Mahama urged all parties to accept and faithfully abide by the report’s conclusions in the supreme interest of peace and national stability.
Government expressing profound gratitude to Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Nayiri, Naa Bohagu Abdulai Mahama Sheriga II, the Bawku Naba, Naba Asigri Abugrago Azoka II, and all stakeholders whose cooperation contributed to the success of what it described as a historic mediation effort.
