Forestry Commission launches scheme of service

The Forestry Commission (FC) has launched a scheme that provides the framework for recruitment, promotion opportunities and career development for employees of the Commission.

The 331-page document provides a clearly defined career structure to attract, develop and retain highly motivated as well as qualified personnel into the Commission.

Speaking at the launch in Accra, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Nii Osah Mills, commended the management of the FC for complying with the Public Services Commission’s (PSC) directive and obtaining an approved scheme for its staff.

He said the scheme of service would make it easier for each employee to determine his or her entry point into the FC and where he or she was likely to end up, depending on his or her qualifications, hard work, character and tenacity.

“As we launch this scheme of service today, it is expected that all anomalies that have arisen in the FC since the inception of the institutional reforms in 2000, in respect of promotions and job grades, will be addressed,” Nii Mills said.

The Minister expressed the hope that the implementation of the scheme would lead to strong performance and increased productivity.

“We expect to see greater protection and management of our forest and wildlife resources, which are currently threatened by a wide range of factors,” he said, adding that, the Ministry would monitor the implementation of the scheme to ensure that the Commission was on track.

Nii Mills urged the staff to respect the scheme of service and desist from acts of lawlessness to ensure effective protection of wildlife resources.

In a speech read on his behalf, the Chief Executive of the FC, Mr Afari Dartey, said lack of a scheme of service over the years had led to a stall in promotion and the dissatisfaction of staff.

It is worth noting that, this difficult regime sometimes resulted in some employees spending up to 20 years on a particular job grade without any career progression,” he said, adding that, the situation has led to low morale at work, suggesting that, “our protection function might have been adversely affected.”

Mr Dartey said he would ensure a smooth take-off of the Scheme of Service and said he had directed the establishment of an all-inclusive implementation committee to see to the effective and efficient implementation of the scheme.

“In the event of any errors occurring on an employee’s progression, our doors are always opened for the necessary redress and corrections,” he said, but cautioned staff not to take undue advantage of the open door policy to make unrealistic demands.

The development of the scheme followed a directive from the PSC to all public institutions to prepare such a document as a guide for the development of human capital and career progression.