Top forestry official selling forests to Chinese miners – Baako

The editor of the New Crusading Guide, Abdul-Malik Kweku Baako, has disclosed that there is a “big man” at the Forestry Commission selling Ghana’s forest reserves and concessions to Chinese and Ghanaians for money.

The Forestry Commission is responsible for the regulation of utilisation of forest and wildlife resources, conservation and management of those resources, and the coordination of policies related to them, but Mr Baako claims that one of its top management members, whose name he failed to disclose, is rather giving out portions of Ghana’s forest reserves to Chinese miners and lining his pocket.

The veteran journalist made the revelation on Newsfile on Multi TV on Saturday, 10 June, 2017.

Discussing the fight against illegal mining in the country, Mr Baako told show host Samson Lardy Anyenini: “There is a big fish…at the Forestry Commission who is making all sorts of noise and calling the army, calling the police, doing this, doing that, but that gentleman is caught on tape selling forest reserves and concessions to Chinese and other Ghanaians and collecting money. He is there at the Forestry Commission, he’s a big man.”

Mr Baako’s revelation comes in the wake of government’s war on illegal mining to protect water bodies and also preserve its forests.