Savannah Region: 17-member anti-logging committee inaugurated

A 17-member committee charged with the responsibility of ending the menace of logging and charcoal burning in commercial quantities in the Savannah Region has been inaugurated by the Savannah Regional Coordinating Council.

Savannah Region Minister Adam Braimah Salifu inaugurating the committee charged members to execute their mandate without fear or favour.

He also admonished them to make sure any person or group caught in the act gets punished in accordance with the laws of the country.

The Minister since assuming office in 2019 has waged a war to clamp down on logging and its related activities.

It will be recalled that a site belonging to a Chinese firm that was into logging and processing of wood in Damongo was closed down by the minister and the entire logs confiscated.

Adam Braimah appealed to chiefs to support him win the fight against logging.

“Our beautiful vegetation is no more due to selfish interest of some members of our own communities. This is bad and we must collectively fight it,” he urged.

He added: “Chiefs must stop taking money from these people and the youth must take interest in the fight.”

The Chairman of the Committee, Tejepewura Saaka A. Sadick Bonyanso I, who is also representing the traditional authorities in the Region, assured the Savannah Regional Coordinating Council of the full compliance of the traditional authorities in fighting illegal logging in the region since most of the members pointed accusing fingers at chiefs.

He said government’s directives must be complied with by every person including chiefs in the country hence the ban will surely see full implementation with the total support from traditional authorities.

In November 2019, a nine-member committee was formed by the Savannah Region Minister to investigate the factors that militate against efforts to end illegal logging.

The committee under the Chairmanship of Alhaji Sadique Bakari BmNyari, a former Chairman of the Lands Commission of Ghana, presented its report to the Minister with recommendations.

Recommendations

The committee amongst other things recommended the formation of a management committee in the region to end the logging menace in the newly created region.

It also recommended that considering the level of destruction of the forest cover in the Region, there should be a total ban in compliance with the national directive of banning the harvesting and exportation of rosewood.

In April, 2016, the Gonja Traditional Council at one of their council meetings in Yapei declared a total ban on all forms of logging and commercial charcoal burning in the now Savannah Region.

All the paramountcies within the traditional council were tasked by the Yagbonwura to form an anti-logging taskforce to tackle the menace.