By The World Satellite.
Global Advocacy for African Affairs has continued to take proactive steps in demonstrating its commitment to good governance, leadership and developmental policies as well as desire to see more Africans take central seats on the decision-making table of global institutions, world missions and businesses.
As part of its ongoing commitment to continue to pioneer partnership across all divides with notable institutions and organizations, guaranteeing high powered intellectual engagement especially as it concerns Africa in the new frontier, the Africa’s leading development advocacy group has perfected preparations to hold her “Maiden Abuja Traditional Institutions, Community Initiatives and Sustainable Development Forum”.
This was made known in a recent Press briefing by the Group’s Executive Director; Mr. Chrys Anyanwu during when he informed that the event with the theme: “Rethinking the Role of Traditional Rulers in Community Development: An Option to Africa’s Development Challenges will hold in Abuja on the 14th and 15th of May, 2020.
According to Mr. Chrys, the Forum, which will hold at the Fraser Suite, Abuja shall host traditional rulers, members of the diplomatic community including representatives of the UN, EU, AU and ECOWAS as well as members of the academia, professionals, heads of organizations, security and governance experts.
“It is a special invitation only event, full of busy days of continuous robust intellectual exchange on key community and national development issues. It shall provide a platform to reassess commitment towards the realization of sustainable development goals as well as bespoke/networking dinner event in honour and celebration of select traditional intuitions in Nigeria who topped in preserving, positioning and exercising traditional authorities as curators of excellence”, he explained.
Continuing, Mr. Chrys Anyanwu, reiterated that the weak synergy between state authorities and traditional institutions and the need to constantly engage with a view to insulating them from partisan politics and acquaint them of their statutory and responsible roles in citizens’ development.
He further maintained that Traditional leaders play significant roles in the social, political, and economic lives of citizens in countries throughout Africa. “They are seen as local elites who derive legitimacy from custom, tradition, and spirituality. While their claims to authority are local, traditional leaders, or “chiefs,” are also integrated into the modern state in a variety of ways.
“The position of traditional leaders between state and local communities allows them to function as development intermediaries. They do so by influencing the distribution of national public goods and the representation of citizen demands to the state. They can impact development by coordinating local collective action, adjudicating conflicts, and overseeing land rights. In the role of development intermediaries, traditional leaders shape who benefits from different types of development outcomes within the local and national community”, Mr Chrys added.
On the other hand, he frowned at the reoccurring cases of migration, the risk associated with it, the current state of violent criminal activities in most African countries, including terrorism, arms banditry, kidnappings and other youth criminal activities; and, the intra-national disunity causing serious breakdown of peace and social relations thereby impacting negatively on national development, as a clear failure of a good synergy between government and traditional institution especially in Nigeria.
