Metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies have been asked to elect Presiding Members (PMs) who are politically impartial.
This is to ensure that experiences and expertise acquired by PMs over the years are not swept away by changes in the composition of government appointees to the assemblies during change of government.
Mr. Isaac Owusu-Mensah, Senior Programme Manager of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, a German political foundation, made the call at a workshop for chiefs and selected women leaders from the Upper West Region, at Wa.
It was on transparency and accountability of traditional authorities and district assemblies and organized by the Centre for Indigenous Knowledge and Organizational Development (CIKOD), a local non-governmental organisation (NGO).
Mr. Owusu-Mensah lauded the current non-partisan arrangement at the district level, where political parties were not allowed to directly participate or sponsor people vying to become assembly members.
He reminded traditional rulers that they were custodian of the people's culture and natural resource and they must help in promoting accountability and transparency in local governance.
Mr. Owusu-Mensah said "Traditional authorities can only perform this national duty if only chieftaincy is perceived by the public as transparent, credible and accountable in personnel and conduct of business activities".
Mr. Bernard Guri, Executive Director of CIKOD, advised chiefs not to lord it over the people but to make traditional councils effective to enable them to lead the people in development.
"If chiefs prove to the rest of the country that they are accountable to the people they will attract resources since they are in a better position to spread development than through the government".
Mr. Guri said the chieftaincy institution had enjoyed goodwill in the country from governments and it was up to the chiefs to seize the opportunity to lobby for resources for development.