Every Akan town or village is made up of a number of families (abusuafuo) that collectively embody the clan system. The founding mother's abusua of that town or village constitutes the royal family from which a prospective chief and queen mother are divinely groomed and appointed by the various family elders.

 

Each clan comprises many lineages which are blood-related individuals. Each town or village constitutes a political unit.

 

Many towns and villages can form a paramountcy (oman) such as in the Asante, whose heads becomes the Paramount Chief (Omanhene) and Queen Mother (Ohemaa).

Each town or village has a chief, a queen mother and a council of elders consisting of males and females from each abusua, which along with others constitutes the governing body.