Govt will protect Achimota Forest — Lands Minister

The government is taking a critical look at the Executive Instrument (E.I) 144 and Legislative Instrument (L.I) 246 (2) that declassified the Achimota Forest and other reserves across the country. 

It has further given the assurance that it would take a bold decision on the E.I as a matter of necessity, taking into consideration the need to preserve the green cover in the capital city.

The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, who disclosed this said:"As a government, we are looking at what to do with this E.I, but in my candid view Achimota Forest should stand as a forest and nothing else," he said.

The E.I. 144 is in relation to 361 acres of Achimota Forest that the previous government intended to return to its custodial owners. 

Background

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo under the Forests (Cessation of Forest Reserve) Instrument, 2022 (Executive Instrument), lifted the 1927 classification of portions of the Achimota Forest in the southern periphery as a Forest Reserve.

The E.I 144 was published together with the Forests (Achimota Firewood Plantation Forest Reserve) (Amendment) Instrument, 2022 (EI 154).

The E.I 144 was to make the peripheral portions of the forest reserve cease to be a forest reserve to ensure a development that was consistent with the area of the forest reserve.

Furthermore, E.I 154, on the other hand, states that the area of the forest shall remain a forest reserve.

Both instruments contain adequate provisions that seek to protect the ecological integrity of the forest reserve.

Forestry Commission

During a courtesy call on the management and staff of the Forestry Commission yesterday, Mr Buah stressed that the government was committed to taking bold steps to protecting the country's forest reserves for the unborn generation and in line with efforts to tackle the global climate crisis.

The minister, therefore, urged all workers of the Forestry Commission to work diligently to deliver on their mandate of protecting the country’s forests from destruction.

He observed that given that the forest was a critical natural resource with ecological and economic benefits to humanity and the planet, urgent steps needed to be taken to protect it from encroachers.

The Minister, who is also the Ellembelle Member of Parliament (MP), reiterated that the government would provide the needed support to the Forestry Commission to fight illegal mining and other threats to forest reserves across the country.

He said mining in forest reserves, particularly, was an existential threat to humanity, for which reason security would be beefed up to deal ruthlessly with the perpetrators. 

Commercialisation

The Lands and Natural Resources Minister stressed that the time had come for commercial value to be placed on the operations of the Forestry Commission to boost the revenue generation of the forest sector.

To that end, he urged all divisions under the Commission to prioritise value addition and investment in their unique forestry products, ranging from eco-tourism, wildlife, to timber resources.