Regency in Dagbon: An albatross of a traditional transitional institutional arrangement in Ghana

Abstract

Regency has become an important feature of Africa’s chieftaincy institution. Regents provide transitional leadership between the demise and installation of a chief in accordance with the custom and tradition of the people. The Regent has the capacity and authority to contribute towards peace during chieftaincy conflict to ensure perpetuity in leadership. This paper interrogates the effectiveness of the Dagbon Regency system by adopting a qualitative methodology and methods of data collection. The paper concludes with a proposition for re-examination of the current regency system in Dagbon to ensure expedited means of enskinment of a substantive chief.