Government Endorses Otumfuo’s Bawku Mediation Report, Announces GH¢1 Billion Revitalisation Fund
Tamale, Dec. 17, 2025 — The Government of Ghana has formally endorsed the findings and recommendations of the Bawku Conflict Mediation Report presented by the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, reaffirming its commitment to restoring lasting peace, constitutional order and development in the conflict-prone area.
In an official statement issued on Wednesday, the Presidency said it had carefully reviewed the report submitted on December 16, 2025, and accepted all its conclusions as a comprehensive, fact-based roadmap for reconciliation and stability in Bawku and surrounding communities.The government reiterated the legal position consistently upheld by the Supreme Court that Naba Asigri Abugrago Azoka II is the lawful Bawku Naba, stressing that no individual or group is permitted to contest his authority or legitimacy under any circumstances.
As part of the implementation of the mediation outcomes, the government accepted the recommendation that Alhaji Seidu Abagre, who was installed as a rival claimant to the Bawku chieftaincy, be recalled to Nalerigu by the Overlord of Mamprugu, the Nayiri, to assume an alternative traditional role. The state, the statement said, will immediately facilitate his safe movement to Nalerigu, where he will remain available to receive directives from the Nayiri.
The government also appealed to Otumfuo Osei Tutu II to continue providing leadership and moral authority to support ongoing reconciliation efforts between the Mamprusi and Kusasi communities.
Acknowledging the severe human, social and economic toll of the protracted conflict, the Presidency announced a major recovery package aimed at rebuilding Bawku. President John Dramani Mahama has directed the Minister for Finance to establish a GH¢1 billion Bawku Revitalisation Fund to be disbursed over a three-year period from 2026 to 2028.
According to the statement, the fund will finance the reconstruction and development of critical infrastructure, including roads, healthcare and educational facilities, dams and irrigation systems to support year-round agriculture, security installations, and economic and commercial projects. The initiative is intended to restore Bawku’s historic role as a key economic and trading hub in northern Ghana.
The fund will be overseen by a high-level committee chaired by the Minister for Finance and Acting Minister for Defence, Cassiel Ato Baah Forson. Other members include the Upper East Regional Minister, Donaltus Akamuguri, and the Majority Leader and Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga, who will represent MPs from the area.
The government called on traditional authorities, political leaders, youth groups, civil society organisations, religious bodies, development partners and the general public to support the peace-building process in a spirit of unity, restraint and patriotism.
Reiterating Otumfuo Osei Tutu II’s caution that “there are no winners and no losers” in the mediation process, President Mahama urged all parties to accept and faithfully implement the report’s recommendations in the supreme interest of peace and national stability.
The statement, signed by the Minister for Government Communications and Presidential Spokesperson, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, expressed gratitude to Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Nayiri, Naa Bohagu Abdulai Mahama Sheriga II, the Bawku Naba, and all stakeholders whose cooperation contributed to what the government described as a historic mediation effort.
