The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has tasked the newly inaugurated 11-member Forestry Commission Board to help to restore the country’s forest cover.
The country boasted of some 8.2 million hectares of forest in 1900, however, this figure has depleted considerably with the world at large also battling climate change due to some human activities.
For this reason, the government has constituted a board in that regard to have oversight of the space.
Among other things, the board will be in charge of devising policies which will in the short to medium term reduce forest depletion.
At the inauguration ceremony of the 11-member board, the Minister for Lands and Natural resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor said he is convinced the board will execute its mandate judiciously.
“To the extent that we have the board, they will now take the responsibility of devising a strategy and policies to ensure that we restore the forest cover of our country. And I must point out that it’s a matter which is dear to the President. It’s a matter which the president is very particular about. The Chief Executive Officer is billed to make a presentation to Cabinet on what set of measures we should be implementing to restore the forest cover of our country.”
“People talk about ‘Galamsey’ (illegal mining) and other land administration issues, but I dare say that the forest sector is even more consequential and therefore this is the mantle that we have bestowed upon you to discharge for the people of this country,” he stressed.
To avoid overlapping of duties and roles, the Minister urged the Board members to focus their responsibilities while working hand in hand with the Lands Commission.
“But the clear corporate governance principles and delineation of roles and responsibility of management and the board, I will respectfully urge that we adhere to them. As I say, that shouldn’t be a problem because the chairman himself is a very experienced man and he understands these things more than even I do but the distinction between the CEO and his management and the Chairman of this board and the roles they play is that, the board is responsible for fashioning out policies and having oversight while the CEO and his management are the implementing organs of the (Lands) commission.”
