The Government has formally endorsed and accepted all the findings and recommendations contained in the Bawku Conflict Mediation Report presented by the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, describing it as a comprehensive, fact-based and forward-looking roadmap towards lasting peace and stability in Bawku and its surrounding areas.
In an official statement issued by the Presidency on Wednesday, December 17, 2025, the government said it had carefully reviewed and deliberated on the report submitted on December 16, reaffirming its unwavering commitment to peace, constitutional order, the rule of law and national cohesion.
As part of the report’s implementation, government reiterated the settled legal position, consistently upheld by the Supreme Court, that Naba Asigri Abugrago Azoka II is the lawful Bawku Naba. The statement stressed that no individual or group is permitted under any circumstances to challenge his authority or legitimacy.
Government also accepted the recommendation for Alhaji Seidu Abagre, who was installed as a rival claimant to the Bawku chieftaincy, to be recalled to Nalerigu by the Overlord of Mamprugu, the Nayiri, to assume an alternative traditional role. According to the statement, government will immediately facilitate his safe movement to Nalerigu, where he will remain available to receive directives from the Nayiri.
Beyond the chieftaincy and mediation outcomes, government announced a major socio-economic intervention aimed at restoring livelihoods and development in the conflict-affected area. President John Dramani Mahama has directed the Minister for Finance to establish a One Billion Ghana Cedi (GH¢1 billion) Bawku Revitalisation Fund to address the severe human, social and economic losses caused by years of insecurity.
The fund, to be disbursed over a three-year period from 2026 to 2028, will be dedicated to the reconstruction and development of priority infrastructure. These include roads, healthcare and educational facilities, dams and irrigation systems to support all-year-round agriculture, security installations, as well as economic and commercial facilities to restore Bawku’s historic role as a major trading hub in northern Ghana.
Management of the fund will be overseen by a high-level committee chaired by the Minister for Finance, Hon. Cassiel Ato Baah Forson, who also serves as Acting Minister for Defence. Other members include the Upper East Regional Minister, Hon. Donatus Akamugri, and the Majority Leader and Leader of Government Business, Hon. Mahama Ayariga, who will represent Members of Parliament from the Bawku area.
The government further appealed to 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 Asantehene’s admonition, the statement emphasised that there are no winners or losers in the mediation process and urged all parties to accept and 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, cooperation and commitment contributed to what it described as a historic mediation process.
