It said there is the need for Dagbon to reform its constitution and documentation to reflect the current dynamics of the society and to ensure that there is a broader participation of all key stakeholders in the peace process.

The report called for justice and reconciliation in Dagbon as part of the process to achieve a stable and sustainable peaceful environment in the area.

The research was conducted by Mr Mathias Awonnatey Ateng, a PhD Candidate of the University of Manitoba, Canada in collaboration with the Northern Region office of the National Peace Council (NRNPC) with financial support from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) of Canada.

The research findings were made known to key stakeholders in the Northern Region in Tamale at a day's forum organized by the NRNPC.

The research was aimed at looking at the trajectories of the peace process in Dagbon with a focus on assessing both the first (2005/2006) and second road map to peace in the Dagbon Kingdom designed by the Committee of Eminent Chiefs led by the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu ll.

This was to help influence policies in the peace process through advocacy to complement efforts in achieving a sustaining peace in the Dagbon Kingdom.

For years, various efforts have been made to solve the protracted chieftaincy dispute between two royal gates in the Dagbon Kingdom, the Abudu Royal Family and the Andani royal family following the assassination of Ya Na Yakubu Andani ll on March, 2002.

However, in 2019, the Committee of Eminent Chiefs presented a second road map which spelt out the processes to ensuring and sustaining peace in the area and agreed by both royal gates leading to the enskinment of the new Ya-Naa, Abubakari Mahama II, as the Overlord of Dagbon.

Mr Ateng, speaking with the Ghana News Agency, said the research was conducted targeting 24 individuals and five focus group discussions in Dagbon on the reasons for the failure in the first road map to peace and the swift success of the implementation of the second road map.

He said some of the key findings from respondents were that "unlike the second roadmap, in the first roadmap, the parties involve had entrenched positions and there was no political will to resolve the issue and ensure that the first process was enforced".

He said the findings also revealed that the period and time for the initiation of the first roadmap to peace in Dagbon was not right and "not ripe for implementation".

"Basically, we also identified in the research that there were tragic emotions and high tempers where some people lost their relatives and were not willing to give out and compromise with the first roadmap.

Mr Ateng said the research also identified low women participation in the peace process, however some of the women said they use signs, symbols and gestures to participate in influencing the peace process.

Mr Ateng said "the respondents said the reasons for the successful achievement of the second roadmap was that the parties were willing to compromise for the peace process to proceed, hence its successful implementation.

"There was that political will to let the process succeed and there were a lot of political and security guarantees provided by the state to support the roadmap" he said.

"Also the period was timely and the whole Dagbon was fed up of the conflicts and its effects on development in the Northern Region".

He said the research also revealed that Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), like the Yendi Peace Centre, DAMAS, Dagbon Forum and GDCA amongst others also played significant roles leading to the successful implementation of the peace roadmap"

He said the peace in Dagbon was still fragile and there is the need for certain steps to be taken to ensure a definite and conclusive peace such as the need to have functional structures as well as continuous and effective dialogue among the various actors in Dagbon.