The Government of Ghana has fully endorsed the findings and recommendations of the Bawku Conflict Mediation Report, reaffirming its commitment to lasting peace, reconciliation and development in the conflict-affected area.
In an official statement issued on Wednesday, December 17, and signed by the Spokesperson to the President and Minister for Government Communications, Mr Felix Kwakye Ofosu, government said it had carefully reviewed the report presented by the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, on December 16, 2025, and accepted it in its entirety.
The statement stressed that the mediation report is a comprehensive, fact-based and forward-looking roadmap aimed solely at achieving durable peace and stability in Bawku and its surrounding communities, and not to apportion blame or declare winners and losers.
Government reiterated the long-standing legal position, as upheld by the Supreme Court, that Naba Asigri Abugrago Azoka II is the lawful Bawku Naba, emphasizing that no individual or group is permitted under any circumstances to challenge his authority or legitimacy.
As part of the mediation outcomes, government accepted the recommendation that Alhaji Seidu Abagre, who had been installed as a rival claimant to the Bawku skin, be recalled to Nalerigu by the Overlord of Mamprugu, the Nayiri, to assume an alternative traditional role. Government said it would immediately facilitate his safe movement to Nalerigu, where he would remain available to receive directives from the Nayiri.
The statement further appealed to Otumfuo Osei Tutu II to continue providing leadership and moral authority to subsequent reconciliation efforts aimed at fostering peaceful coexistence between the Mamprusi and Kusasi communities.
Beyond peace and reconciliation, government acknowledged the severe human, social and economic toll the protracted conflict has taken on Bawku and its environs. Years of insecurity, it noted, have constrained public and private investment and stalled critical infrastructure development.
In response, President John Dramani Mahama has directed the establishment of a GH¢1 billion Bawku Revitalisation Fund to support socio-economic recovery and development in the area. The fund, to be disbursed over a three-year period from 2026 to 2028, will focus on priority infrastructure such as roads, healthcare, education, dams and irrigation facilities for year-round agriculture, security installations, and economic and commercial facilities.
The initiative is expected to restore Bawku to its historic role as a major economic and trading hub in northern Ghana.
The revitalisation fund will be managed by a high-level committee chaired by the Minister for Finance, Mr Cassiel Ato Baah Forson, who also serves as Acting Minister for Defence. Other members include the Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Donatus Akamugri, and the Majority Leader and Leader of Government Business in Parliament, Mr Mahama Ayariga, who will represent Members of Parliament from the Bawku area.
Government also 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 a spirit of unity, restraint and patriotism.
Reiterating the counsel of Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, government emphasized that there are no winners or losers in the mediation process and urged all parties to faithfully abide by the conclusions and recommendations of the report in the supreme interest of peace and national stability.
Government expressed 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 individuals and institutions whose goodwill and cooperation contributed to what it described as a historic mediation process.
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