Eleven Timber Firms ordered to suspend work in Offinso

The Offinso Traditional Council has ordered 11 timber companies operating in the Offinso Traditional Area to immediately suspend work until they contributed to the development of the area.

Nana Wiafe Akenten 111, Paramount Chief of the Offinso Traditional Area, who gave the directive, said the decision followed the companies' refusal to honour their social obligation to the communities by supplying them with cement for community-initiated projects.

Members of the Offinso Traditional Council had complained at their meeting that timber companies operating in the area had failed to provide 100 bags of cement each requested by the Council for development projects.

The companies are Peace Wood Complex, Habit Timber Limited, Kwame Sramang Timbers, Solo Export and Production, Addai Brothers Lumber Company and Kwasi Acheampong Company.

The rest are Alfred Acheampong Company, Kwame Bi Kufuor Timbers Company, KAG Timbers, Antico Wood Processing Company and Ham Company Limited.

Nana Wiafe Akenten said the decision to contribute the 100 bags of cement was not an imposition but the outcome of a mutual agreement between the timber firms and the Traditional Council.

''Until the affected timber firms show respect to the authority of the Traditional Council and honour their social responsibility to the area they will not be allowed to continue their operations.''

Nana Wiafe Akenten gave instructions to chiefs in whose areas the affected timber companies have their concessions to stop the companies from entering and operating in those concessions.

Mr Sampson Adjei, Acting Chief Director, Ministry of Lands and Forestry, told the Ghana News Agency in Accra that if the social responsibility clause in the original agreement indicated that the timber companies were to provide the cement then they could be held liable for a breach.

He said before a company is given a concession licence three parties- Ministry representing the government; traditional authority and the company should agree on a social responsibility clause.

Mr Adjei, however, said the Ministry needed time to investigate before it could come out with an official position on the matter and urged the parties to exercise restraint.