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Ghana and Cote D�Ivoire have taken their bilateral relations a step further by agreeing to explore areas in chieftaincy and traditional governance. This has come about because the two countries share a lot of things in common due to their socio-cultural, historical and political ties. Even though the two countries belonged to the Anglophone and Francophone zones as a result of their colonial past, the people of the two countries are one. A statement, signed by Mr Nelson Akatey, Public Relations Officer of the Ministry of Chieftaincy and Traditional Affairs, and copied to the Ghana News Agency, said on Monday said the two countries cemented the agreement during a courtesy call on Dr Henry Seidu Daanaa, Minister of Chieftaincy and Traditional Affairs, by Mr Ehui-Koutou Bernard, Ambassador of the Republic of Cote D�Ivoire. The Ivorian Ambassador said Ghana�s chieftaincy system was a reference model in Africa due to how it was run and that Cote D�Ivoire was ever ready to tap into this rich experience. The Ambassador said: �In the course of the year, some delegation of chiefs would also visit the country to understudy the Ghanaian system with the view of improving on our own�. He said although the chieftaincy institution in Cote D�Ivoire was not new, it was undergoing some major reforms to make it more relevant to the needs of the society. Dr Daanaa acknowledged the bond of friendship between the two countries adding that people of the two countries were connected by blood. He described the country�s chieftaincy institution as noble and revered adding that the sector ministry would continue to facilitate programmes for chieftaincy administration by providing the necessary logistics and staff for its institutions. �We would also continue to formulate policies for the sector for the promotion of peace and traditional governance,� he said. He educated the Ivorian delegation on the chieftaincy administration in Ghana stating that Government did not interfere in chieftaincy matters by determining who qualified to be a chief or otherwise. On the role of the National House of Chiefs, Dr Daanaa said the ministry worked closely with it to promote the development of the chieftaincy institution. He said last year a delegation from Zambia and Sudan were in the country to understudy the chieftaincy institution and that Malawi and other African countries had also shown the indication of visiting this year for the same purpose. He presented a copy of the Chieftaincy Act 759 (2008) to the ambassador.