Ghana gov’t urged to enforce laws to protect forests

Government has been urged to ensure the rigid enforcement of laws to stop the continued degradation of the country’s forests and its resources.

Dr Ernest Asare Abeney, Director of RUDEYA, a forest NGO, said the impunity on the part of illegal loggers and miners must end to protect the forest.

He was speaking at a workshop organized for selected radio presenters in Kumasi to help to deepen their understanding on the Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) signed by the Government of Ghana with the European Union (EU) to enable them better educate the public.

The VPA is part of an action plan to prevent illegal timber from entering into the European market.

Cameroun and Congo are the two other African signatories. Gabon, Vietnam and Liberia are negotiating to come on board.

The workshop was organized by RUDEYA in partnership with the African Caribbean Pacific (ACP) countries and Timber Validation Department of the Forestry Commission (FC).

The participants were also taken through Ghana’s forest laws and policies including social responsibility agreement.

Dr Abeney said the signing of the pact, demonstrated government’s total commitment towards improving forest governance and sustainable management of the timber resources.

Timber exports are now required to be accompanied by legality licenses, containing information that these are coming from legal sources.

He expressed confidence that the VPA would significantly help to promote investment in the forest sector to ensure future viability of the timber industry.

The FC’s Production Manager, Mr Albert Eshun, said the VPA aims at preventing environmental and social damage as well as revenue losses to government and other beneficiaries.

It ensures an improved system of collecting, collating and reconciling transaction data along the entire process chain.

Source: GNA