Towards the Underpinning Principles of Traditional Governance in Northern Ghana and Their Implications for Democratic Governance

This article discusses northern Ghanaian traditional government ideas. These civilizations were under colonial chieftaincy. The goal is to analyze these systems’ democratic qualities and their potential to inform Ghana’s Westminster-based democracy. In Ghana’s Upper East and Upper West regions, the Boosi village of Bongo and the Dagara community of Nandom were investigated. The study used Transcendentalist-inspired qualitative research. This ethnographic study used literature reviews, focus groups, key informant interviews, and in-depth consultations. The research illuminates typical democratic regimes’ clear allocation of powers between the executive, legislative, and spiritual branches. The executive branch, which includes leaders, is crucial in many areas, including arts and culture, land and agriculture, health and welfare, justice, security, economic growth, and communication. The notable legislative branch promotes gender equality, traditional practices and heritage, national development, and collaborative local government. Restorative justice promotes peaceful collaboration in conventional courts. The spiritual sector protects the spiritual domain, performs sacrificial rites, purifies, appeases deities, and communicates with numerous beings under Tengansob/Tendana. Convergence on important communal issues occurs even if each division acts autonomously. Participation, rule of law, openness, accountability, and inclusion underpin collaborative governance. According to the study, competent conventional governance promotes peace, conflict resolution, and financial growth. The research disputes prevailing beliefs about conventional governance, suggesting that they include systems for oversight and democratic decision-making. Understanding customary systems’ democratic components can help Ghana’s democratic governance.