Forestry Commission accused of political bias

Saw millers in the Sefwi-Wiawso environs are pointing accusing fingers at the Forestry Commission (FC) over what they term improper management of the forest resources and political bias, urging the Commission to revisit its mission as its operations and actions are yielding contrary results.

The saw millers alleged that the Forestry Commission no longer awards concessions to deserving or capable timber operators but rather award the concession along political party lines.

These issues came up when the Nature and Development Foundation (NDF) visited the area to provide hands-on training to saw millers.

They recalled that, “During the reign of President Kuffour, concessions were awarded to companies that had the equipment to operate. Currently, however, concessions are awarded to people who have no business in the timber sector but rather have strong political affiliations”.

The saw millers, who chose anonymity in their interaction with NDF officials, alleged that such people later sublet the concession to timber operators at exorbitant fees.

This act, they claim, is not only increasing their operational costs but also crippling them as the prices being quoted for the concessions are outrageous for most of them to afford. The few who can afford the amount quoted are also left with no option but to harvest the maximum they can outside of their allocated yield.

According to them, the phenomenon is greatly contributing to the depletion of the forest and leaving the future bleak for their businesses and the sector. Adding to the accusations, the saw millers alleged that Globally Significant Biodiversity Areas (GSBAs) are now given out to political party executives for timber extraction with the flimsy excuse from the Forestry Commission that, if they don’t, Illegal chainsaw operators may enter in to remove the economic timber species.

They also asserted that “The afforestation programme being implemented by the FC is further depleting the forests since good forests are being cut down to plant Cedrella”. The millers also claimed that “Certain people in the area don’t have the requisite license to operate yet are able to transport their products safely to the market on the premise of a forged court order and bribery whiles the Forestry Commission looks on. They said rather, the FC tends to scrutinize activities and consignment of the legally registered operators who pay taxes to the government.”

The millers are therefore calling on the Forestry Commission to desist from the practice of awarding concessions along party lines and put their staff in check as a way of ensuring proper management.

The training by the Nature and Development Foundation (NDF) was centred on building the capacity of timber operators in the areas to comply with FLEGT LEGALITY requirements. The training is part of implementing the UKaid-funded project, “Building the capacity of Small-Medium Forest Enterprises (SMFEs) in Ghana and Liberia to supply and trade in legal timber – Phase II.