The Bawku Mediation Report, led by His Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Asantehene, is set to be presented to President John Dramani Mahama on Thursday, December 16, 2025, at the Jubilee House.
Invitations have been extended to key institutions and personalities, including the National House of Chiefs, Peace Council, Christian Council, Chief Imam, Catholic Secretariat, UNDP, British High Commission, elected regional ministers, and the National Security Coordinator.
According to statement released by government spokesman, Felix Ofosu Kwakye, “the presentation marks a significant milestone in the national efforts led by His Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II towards restoring lasting peace, stability and reconciliation in Bawku and its adjoining communities.”
The Bawku conflict, which has persisted for decades, involves a chieftaincy and ethnic dispute between the Kusasi and Mamprusi communities. Several mediation initiatives, both government-led and grassroots-driven, have sought to address the tensions over the years.
The Opoku-Afari Committee, established in 1957 by the colonial government, was the first major investigation into the Bawku chieftaincy dispute. It affirmed the Kusasi Naba Abugrago Azoka I as the legitimate chief, a decision later upheld by the Court of Appeal in 1958. However, the Mamprusi faction rejected the ruling.
Post-independence governments also intervened, including initiatives by President John A. Kufuor in 2008 and Vice President John Mahama in 2009, combining mediation with security measures and legal frameworks. Despite these efforts, a lasting resolution remained elusive.
Formed in 2009 with support from civil society organisations such as the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP), the BIEPC aimed to promote intercultural dialogue and address grievances like farmland disputes and market allocations, while explicitly excluding the core chieftaincy dispute. The committee maintained relative peace from 2010 to 2019, though violence resurfaced around the 2020 elections.
Between 2023 and 2025, the government mandated the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, to lead a high-level mediation process to resolve the decades-old conflict. The Asantehene held sessions at the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi, hearing from both Kusasi and Mamprusi delegations. Mediation efforts concluded on December 1, 2025.
The upcoming presentation of the report to President Mahama is expected to provide recommendations for achieving lasting peace and reconciliation in Bawku and surrounding communities, marking a key step in the ongoing peace process.
