Hon Andrew Dari Chiwitey
Sawla/Tuna/Kalba

Mr Speaker, I rise today with a heavy heart to address a matter of great concern, not only to my constituents in the Sawla/Tuna/Kalba Constituency but to the entire farming community in Ghana.

The issue at hand is the deteriorating relationship between farmers and herdsmen, a situation that has escalated into a national crisis with far-reaching implications for food security, social cohesion, and national stability. While I acknowledge the historical and economic significance of the herdsmen’s presence in our communities, it is imperative to address the gloomy practices that have overshadowed their contributions and threatened the very fabric of our society.

Mr Speaker, the situation in SawlaTuna-Kalba has reached a critical point. Farmers who are the backbone of our local economy live in constant fear of losing their livelihoods. Herdsmen, sometimes armed and accompanied by large herds of cattle, have repeatedly allowed their animals to graze on farms, destroying crops that have taken months of hard work and investment to cultivate.

Mr Speaker, the atrocities committed in Sawla-Tuna-Kalba Constituency in recent times are both horrifying and deeply distressing. In a community called Korle, a woman and her son were brutally butchered by a herdsman simply for attempting to drive stray cattle off their farm.

In Jinevoor, another community, a young boy was attacked and shot by a herdsman after he dared to question why cattle were allowed to invade his farm. In Dandapere, another community, a farmer was mercilessly butchered on his farm by a herdsman with no provocation or justification. Another community, Honiiteng, a herdsman assaulted a farmer and when overpowered, a pistol and cutlass were discovered in his possession.

Similar cases were recorded in Sonmah, Wula, Poru and many more communities. Most recently, the body of a herdsman was found buried in a farm at Weikura, a community near Sawla. Even more troubling is the fact that these herdsmen, most at times, falsely accuse some farmers, resulting in very unpleasant treatment being meted out to farmers. These incidents are not isolated. They are part of a growing pattern of violence that is eroding the peace and stability of our communities. This cycle of bloodshed and destruction benefits no one and only deepens the mistrust and animosity between farmers and herdsmen. It is a tragic and unsustainable situation that demands immediate intervention.

Mr Speaker, it is clear that the current state of affairs is untenable. While we appreciate the economic role of herdsmen, we cannot allow their negative practices to continue unchecked. It is imperative that we take decisive action to address this issue before it spirals further out of control. I urge this House to consider the following measures:

i. The establishment of a legal framework to regulate the activities of herdsmen and protect the rights of farmers.

ii. The promotion of dialogue and conflict resolution mechanisms to foster peaceful coexistence between farmers and herdsmen.

iii. The provision of support of alternative livelihoods for herdsmen, such as ranching, to reduce their reliance on open grazing. iv. The exploit avenue for dialogue on how landowners can effectively settle herdsmen.

v. Lastly, as a country, we need to exploit the benefits of ranching and adapt it to our benefit.

In conclusion, Mr Speaker, the unhealthy relationship between farmers and herdsmen in Sawla-Tuna-Kalba and beyond is a pressing issue that demands our immediate attention. We must not turn a blind eye on the negative practices that have caused so much pain and suffering. It is our duty as representatives of the people to ensure that every citizen, regardless of their occupation or background, can live and work in peace. Let us act now, before it is too late, to restore harmony and prosperity to our communities.

Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Hon Kwame Anyimadu-Antwi
Asante Akim Central

Speaker, I sympathise with the maker of the Statement and his constituents in the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba Constituency.

Mr Speaker, his Statement reminds me of what I have gone through. I came to this House in 2009. Before I came, Hon Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu of blessed memory had gone through the same problems within Asante Akim, then North, and I inherited what he came to do. He suggested that the herdsmen be given lands for ranching, which is among the remedies that the maker of the Statement has stated.

But, Mr Speaker, on a more serious note, we have hammered this consistently in this House, and I pray that we take a decision once and for all to solve this problem.

Mr Speaker, the maker of the Statement was only able to give us a tip of the iceberg of the problems that the herdsmen caused. There was one man that we called Kojo Billa; he was the chairman at Mpesempese Polling Station. His neck was slashed. They killed him with a knife and slashed his throat. I went to see the corpse with my naked eyes. On one occasion, a man was coming from the farm with his wife and saw some people struggling in the bush. They went to the bush to see what was happening.

Mr Speaker, you would not believe what they saw. It was his mother-in-law who was being raped in the bush by a herdsman. They have caused a lot of atrocities.

Mr Speaker, besides that we also have some people that also steal their cattle from them. And, therefore, they are also armed with sophisticated weapons, so it is both sides. But we need to stop this. To say that farmers are caught with fear is an understatement.

Mr Speaker, we all enjoy the yams that come from the north. And if farmers are not able to plant and harvest, we are doomed as a nation. Mr Speaker, I pray that among the things that the maker of the Statement has stated—He stated that we should have about four solutions. If I may quote what he has said, he said: “

1. The establishment of legal framework to regulate the activities of herdsmen and protect the rights of farmers.

2. The promotion of dialogue and conflict resolution mechanisms to foster peaceful coexistence between farmers and herdsmen.

3. The provision of support for alternative livelihoods for herdsmen, such as ranching, to reduce their reliance on open grazing.” I quite remember that there was a time that the then Police Command said that we have to bring them home and give them a place to ranch.

Mr Speaker, I was so angry on television and I told them that the police headquarters has a place that they can ask their cattle to come and graze, but that was to send a message to them. Mr Speaker, in this House, a Committee has been set before but I do not know what came out of it.

Mr Speaker, you need to get a comprehensive Report. I had taken the herdsmen to court. I went with the Regional Security Council (REGSEC) in Ashanti Region. I took REGSEC to court on this, and the order was to flush the herdsmen from the premises of the Afram plains: the Agogo side of the Afram plains.
Mr Speaker, they were pushed to the Kumawu area and it is an enclave. So, I am not surprised that they would normally start either from Nigeria and then get to the north. At some point, they went to a place where most of them were burnt and what not.

Mr Speaker, it is important that we get a Committee to go across the nation and get a comprehensive report, so that we can solve this once and for all. As I referred to, the then Minister for Finance, Hon Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, said that the only way to go was to get a ranch for them because we needed the meat and milk, so we have to co-exist with the farmers. Mr Speaker, but most of the farmers, even when you see pictures— When I went to court, I had all this evidence.

Mr Speaker, you will be surprised the way they slashed themselves when they meet or have an encounter. I can only conclude that they are very coward. So, living with them is very difficult. We cannot continue to —I am glad that he did not say that we should provide for the alternative livelihood for farmers because we need the farmers, but we need to protect the farmers so we would have our peace. The Hon Minister for Education has said that probably some criminals are hiding behind them. I doubt that anybody is hiding behind them. They have sophisticated weapons. They have sharp machetes— very sharpened, and even AK-47.

Mr Speaker, we will be surprised that they are able to talk to the cattle and they obey them. At some point, one is able to hold their two horns, one here, one there, and he commands and then the cattle takes the herdsmen away. It is difficult to get them. Some inhabitants also provoke them. Some nationals also steal from them.

Therefore, what I will add is that, Mr Speaker, please, set a Committee; we cannot continue this. Every day when we come here, we make Statements and recommendations are made, but, Mr Speaker, at the end of this, we must get a solution to that or if you could probably refer it to the Committee on Security and Intelligence to come out with a comprehensive report, so that, as a House, we will take a final solution on this menace.

Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Hon James Agalga
Builsa North

Mr Speaker, thank you.

Mr Speaker, I want to commend the maker of the Statement for the bold attempt he has made in bringing to the fore certain important developments which have to do with the tensions between nomadic herdsmen and farmers in our country.

Mr Speaker, this matter is not new to this august House at all. I recall that a similar Statement was read in this House and a referral made to the Committee for Defence and Interior at the time when I served as a member, in fact, as the Ranking Member.

Mr Speaker, the Chair at the time, when the Statement was read, actually instructed the Committee to embark on a tour of some selected countries within the sub-region to understudy the legal regime in those countries and make recommendations for adoption and implementation.

Mr Speaker, accordingly, I recall that we visited Senegal and Niger, if my memory serves me right. Mr Speaker, some of the useful findings we made when we visited Senegal in particular was that Senegal as a country, which had in the past had issues to do with nomadic herdsmen and tensions arising between them and farmers, entered into bilateral arrangements. Bilateral agreements were struck between Senegal and countries where nomadic herdsmen usually would migrate in the course of the lean season. And some of those countries included Mauritania and Chad. So how did they do it?

The Government of Senegal has an agreement in place which requires the governments of Mauritania, Chad, where the nomads would normally come from, to notify the host State, which is in this case the state of Senegal. And once the notification is done, appropriate steps would be taken to properly host the herdsmen, so Senegal would make provision for the treatment of the herd. They would make provision for appropriate grazing areas, and that is where the concept of ranching becomes very crucial. In fact, as part of the bilateral agreement, the countries where the herds normally would originate sometimes pay in kind.

A number of the herd would normally be allocated as part of the payment in kind, and the government of Senegal would accept that readily. So, at the end of the day, they know where to go to when the migration period arrives. They do not just move into Senegal and go anywhere. I mean, ranches have been provided for, grazing fields have been allocated, and those fields are meant for grazing.

So, Mr Speaker, as a country which is affected by those tensions, we know there are frameworks in place. ECOWAS has a framework because the maker of the Statement spoke about the adoption of a legal framework to deal with the problem. As a direct response, there is a framework in place. ECOWAS has a framework in place which deals with the question of trans-humans and how they must be treated when they move into a host nation.

But the problem is that implementation has become very difficult. In those circumstances, I think we must look beyond the legal framework provided for by ECOWAS and go into bilateral arrangements. So, I would recommend that Ghana, for instance, should have a bilateral agreement with Burkina Faso. We need to have another bilateral agreement with the Republics of Niger and Mali, where the herds normally come from

Mr Speaker, I think I would like to commend the maker of the Statement and to implore this honourable House to take a second look at the Report the Committee actually came out with. It is there, and I am sure if we go through the Hansards, we would find it. We made very useful and critical recommendations. All we need to do now is to get the Executive involved, so that we can begin to implement some of those recommendations.

Thank you, Mr Speaker.