Land and forestry sector yet to benefit economy

The potential of the land and forestry sector as important contributors to the national economy has not been realized due to poor management.
Ghana’s total forest cover estimated at 8.2 million hectares at the beginning of the twentieth century currently stands at less than 1.6 million hectares.
It is estimated that Ghana’s forest cover is being degraded at the rate of 65,000 hectares per year.
It is also believed that unless this high deforestation is checked there could be no forest cover within the next few decades. Apart from the environmental benefits that could be permanently lost there would be negative economic effects.
The timber industry would collapse dealing to the loss of millions of direct and indirect jobs.
It is estimated that about 3.7 million cubic metres of timber is harvested annually of which illegal chain saw activities account for about 1.7 million cubic metres, while illegal logging accounts for about 900,000 cubic metres.
The remaining 1.1 million cubic metres is what legal timber is estimated to account for. Despite numerous government policies on the land and forestry sector, there continue to be degradation of the forest due to lack of understanding of these policies.
Therefore, any attempt to reform whatever statutes or policies on land and forestry should include the voice of the people.
They should be allowed to take part in the implementation of these policies as they are meant for them. It is in this vain that the Centre for Democratic Governance, CDD, organized a workshop in Accra to increase government’s responsiveness to civil society in maters of land and forestry policy.
Under the Ghana Land and Forestry Support Facility, (GLFSF), the centre is conducting a diagnostic study to review existing legal and policy initiatives governing land and forestry maters in Ghana. A preliminary report highlighting the weaknesses of the existing initiatives and recommendations with the aim to improve government civil society relations in maters of forestry and land was the subject for discussion at the workshop.
A member of the Project Review Team, Mr. Nayon Bilijo cited unsustainable exploitation, inequitable allocation and utilization of land and forestry resources as some of the factors impeding the state from deriving maximum benefit vested in the sector.
‘‘There is the need for a more transparent allocation of timber resources. The Forestry Commission should implement more fully provisions in the various legislation on the award of Timber Utilization Contracts, (TUCs) through a competitive bidding process. The practice whereby this process is circumvented by recourse to granting of Timber Utilization Permits, Salvage permits and replacement of concessions should be avoided’, he stated.
The Vice Dean of the Economic and Architectural Department of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Dr. Daniel Hammond, noted that before the colonial government, land resources were managed by chiefs or leaders in the society, but the scenario has changed.
He said even policies that existed were on adhoc basis. However, today, all policies point to one goal, that is sustainable national development. Dr. Hammond said land ownership has become a major problem. For instance he said, lack of consultation with land owners and chiefs in decision making for land allocation, acquisition, management, utilization and development has generated intractable disputes between the state, the community and the private land owning groups. ‘‘This results in lengthy land acquisition procedures for agricultural, industrial, commercial and residential development purposes due to conflicting claims to ownership’.