The Chief Executive Officer of the Forestry Commission, John Allotey, has listed the lack of resources for its personnel as a major handicap preventing illegalities in the forest reserves across the country.
Speaking at the Forestry Commission’s Chief Executive’s briefing and Staff recognition awards in Takoradi, he noted that the activities of illegal mining and logging in the forest reserves continue to be a major challenge though the Commission is doing its best through the implementation of the Rapid Response Team under the Forestry Services Commission to clamp down on the menace. They, however, lack the needed resources.
“The key challenge confronting us today is how to combat the issue of illegal mining. Though our Rapid Response Team is doing so well, we need to equip them, [because] they have limited logistics to be able to move in their numbers and run multiple operations at the same time.
“So, this area we will need support from the board and the management to develop some programmes that will yield more funds that will be able to resource some of these units,”
he stated.
The Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources in charge of Forestry, Benito Owusu Bio, who was the special guest at the event commended the Commission for its support to government’s Green Ghana projects.
He said through its assistance, Ghana has been able to plant over 21 million seedlings which is unprecedented in the country’s history.
“Since the launch of the Green Ghana project in 2021 as part of government’s effort to restore our degraded landscape and contribute to global effort against climate change, over forty one million seedlings of various plants species have been planted across the country.
“According to your own data from 2017 to 2023, in the history of Ghana, no president has planted more trees than this government since independence,” he said.
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By Ewurama Smith|Connect FM|Takoradi
