My stance on Atiwa forest is not anti-gov't - Okyenhen

Accra (Greater Accra) 1 September 2003 - The Okyenhen, Osagye Amoatia Ofori-Panin II has said that his stance on the Atiwa Forest to be made an eco-tourism centre is not anti-government or anti-development but an alternative that would sustain the development of the country as against mining.

Addressing the annual seminar of the Ghana Institute of Surveyors in Accra, he said the fact that the country has been tagged a highly indebted country (HIPC) is not a license for it to dispose its lands.

He said eco-tourism generates $230bn annually worldwide but Ghana has failed to realize her share in the sector. This is because the whole forest is under siege. He suggested that the trees in the forest both medicinal and economic spices could be used as collateral to secure loans to educate the youth to manage the land.

"There are so many things that we can do without being churned on by mining activities which turn to degrade the environment", Okyenhen said. He cited a trip he is to make to Kruga Park and other places in South Africa next week and said he and his entourage are required to pay $500 per head. Ghana, he said can do a similar thing to more hard currency if 8.4 million hectares of forest, which has been reduced to 1.8 million hectares, is properly managed.

To this end, the Okyenhen has proposed a massive commercialization of tree planting and agro forestry that would cut across the country and managed by companies equipped with requisite experience to run a holding with subsidiary in every district. This project would provide employment, enhance good agricultural practices and prevent land erosion which mining cannot offer.

Recalling the effects mining has caused to his kingdom, the Okyenhen emphasized that in 1926, an agreement was signed with the Consolidated African Selection Trust in Akwatia to mine diamond in the town. The company then agreed to reclaim the land but failed to fulfill the promise and till now no sanction has been brought against them. The people of Akwatia are prone to diseases and their future is jeopardized.

The Deputy Minister of Lands and Forestry, Mrs Theresa Tagoe said the Land Administration Project (LAP), which is expected to solve the complexity of land matters within the next 15 years, is estimated to cost $54.19m. The project is to be financed jointly by the government and its development partners. The World Bank is also providing $20.5m.

Under the LAP, she said, surveyors and other related institutions would be assisted by the government in order to enhance the smooth implementation of the project.