The national fight against invasion and destruction of forest reserves, particularly by illegal mining operations has been boosted with the commemorative inauguration and handing over of 10 Forest Protection and two Checkpoint Camps as on-site accommodation for forest guards to protect the national resources.
The Chief Executive of the Forestry Commission, Dr. Hugh Brown, speaking at the official handing over at Oda Forest Reserve near Numereso in the Amansie Central District of the Ashanti Region, noted that, despite the infrastructural improvement for the protection of the forest resources, there is shortfall in the required number of Forest Resource Guards.
The ceremony took place on Tuesday, May 19,2026,
He noted that the over 2500 shortfall in number of guards is at the time when criminals are becoming highly sophisticated in the use of equipment, communication gadgets and weapons.
Data from the Forestry Commission and some environmentally oriented organizations have identified forest reserves in the Ashanti, Western, Western North, Ahafo and Bono regions as the worst affected by harmful and unlawful human activities.
Among these invaded forest reserves is the Oda Forest Reserve that also protects the Oda River in the Amansie Central district of the Ashanti region. It has been established that, perpetrators of the crimes have assumed high sophistication in the use of heavy machinery, communication gadgets and weapon with which they brazingly fight state security operatives and Forest Guards.
To help address the problem, the government of Ghana and its UK counterpart entered into the ‘Forest Governance Partnership in December 2025 through which 10 Forest Protection and two Check Point Camps have been provided to host Forest Guards to protect 10 of the Forest Reserves in various regions in the country.
One of them is at in the Oda Forest Reserve in the Amansie Central district in the Ashanti region. The Camp will accommodate eight of the Guards at a time with reliable water supply system, a kitchen and washrooms with the solar as the source of power supply in addition to six brand new motor bikes to support the protection efforts.
Its inauguration commemorated the official handing over of all the other such Camps by the British High Commission in Ghana to the Forestry Commission for use to boost the national fight against activities like ‘galamsey’.
The Chief Executive of the Forestry Commission, Dr. Hugh Brown, noted that invasion of the country’s forest reserves has not stopped and therefore called for an intensified and collective fight to subdue the canker for posterity.
He described the commissioning as a significant milestone in efforts to improve Forest security and operational effectiveness across the country.
These facilities will greatly improve monitoring,coordination and rapid response operations in our forest reserves “, he said.
He observed that the partnership between the Government of Ghana and the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), signed in December last year, is focused on strengthening institutional capacity, improving forest governance, and enhancing operational efficiency of the Commission.
According to him, the provision of logistics, operational support, and ongoing legal and institutional review under the partnership reflects a shared commitment to sustainable forest management and protection.
He described the inauguration of the camps as a ‘bold statement of intent “, by government and its partners to translate policy into action in the fight against forest degradation.
He explained that the new protection camps represent a shift from the traditional forest patrol system to a more proactive,permanent on-site security approach, where officers will operate in coordinated teams within forest reserves.
“This development marks a paradigm shift in forest protection, from isolated patrols to strengthened team-based operations within the reserves. There is strength and synergy in numbers “, he stated.
He expressed concern over the increasing sophistication of illegal mining and logging operations.
He noted that, offenders now deploy heavy machinery, communication equipment, and organized networks, sometimes resisting enforcement teams.
He cautioned that such activities continue to pose serious threats to water bodies, biodiversity, ecosystem stability, and national development, citing widespread degradation in several forest regions including Ashanti, Western, Western North, Ahafo and Brono.
He indicated that continuous presence of officers in forest reserves will significantly improve surveillance, intelligence gathering, and rapid response to illegal activities and wildfires.
He appealed for increased recruitment, improved logistics, capacity building, and enhanced welfare support for forestry personnel.
He stressed that effective forest protection requires a multi-stakeholder approach involving the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, security agencies, the judiciary, traditional authorities, civil society organisations, the media, and local communities.
“Forest protection cannot be the responsibility of the Forestry Commission alone. It requires collective action and shared responsibility “, he emphasized.
Representing the UK government, the Acting Deputy British High Commissioner to Ghana, Dr. Terri Sarch, pledged the continuous partnership between her country and Ghana to effectively fight destruction of Ghana’s forest because of the consequences of a destroyed forest on the society.
She said the handover demonstrates the strong partnership between Ghana the UK in promoting sustainable forest management.
She observed that through programmes such as the FCDO’s Forest Governance, markets and climate initiative, the UK has continued to support Ghana in strengthening forest governance and enforcement systems.
The Chairman of the Forestry Commission Board, Mr Isaac Essien ( Esq) , who represented the Minister of lands and natural resources, Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah, said that the facilities represent government’s broader commitment to sustainable forest management and environmental protection.
He observed that Ghana’s forest remain critical national assets that support livelihoods, biodiversity and climate resilience, stressing that government is committed to protect them through stronger enforcement and improved operational capacity.
“The protection of our forests requires commitment, vigilance and the right infrastructure for officers on the ground ” Minister said.
The permanent Camps are expected to, among other objectives, help with the surveillance and early detection of any invasion into the beneficiary forest reserves, reduce the emergency response time in times of deadly invasions and to reduce the threat or real attacks by the criminals against the Forest Guards.
By Benjamin Aidoo
