The National House of Chiefs is the highest body in
Ghana
Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and Tog ...
that unites all traditional rulers, chiefs and kings. The institution has backing from the
Constitution of Ghana
The Constitution of Ghana is the supreme law of the Republic of Ghana. It was approved on 28 April 1992 through a national referendum after 92% support. It defines the fundamental political principles, establishing the structure, procedures, pow ...
.
Membership
The various rulers of Ghana's numerous tribes and clans automatically become members of a number of regional houses of chiefs. It is their membership of these regional bodies that qualifies them for membership of the national house.
In addition to these chiefs, a number of
queen mothers
A queen mother is a former queen, often a queen dowager, who is the mother of the reigning monarch. The term has been used in English since the early 1560s. It arises in hereditary monarchies in Europe and is also used to describe a number of ...
are also appointed to the national house as associate members. These titleholders are appointed for four-year terms, and are eligible for re-appointment thereafter.
Although the national and regional houses are dominated by citizens of Ghana, they are affiliated with a number of foreign nationals. The
African-American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...
religious leader
Ra Un Nefer Amen, for example, serves as the U.S. representative of the chiefs in congress assembled. He himself holds a Ghanaian
chieftaincy
A tribal chief or chieftain is the leader of a tribal society or chiefdom.
Tribe
The concept of tribe is a broadly applied concept, based on tribal concepts of societies of western Afroeurasia.
Tribal societies are sometimes categorized as ...
in his own right.
Presidents of NHC
Since the creation of the National House of Chiefs, a president and his vice-president have been selected from among the members of the house to direct their affairs. The practice first started in 1969.
See also
*
Chieftaincy institution (Ghana)
References
Ministries and Agencies of State of Ghana
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