The Forestry Commission has reiterated its earlier stance that the entity and its Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie are not involved in Illegal mining as purported by a section of the public.
The Commission has also indicated its readiness to submit itself to any probe should the need arise.
“We wish to inform all relevant stakeholders that the Chief Executive of Forestry Commission, Mr. Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, has not, is not and will not be involved in illegal mining, known in local parlance as ”galamsey.
“The Forestry Commission and its Chief Executive are therefore prepared for any probe from any quarters in connection with this allegation of his involvement in ‘galamsey’.We assure all stakeholders that we will cooperate with them on any probe that will be initiated in connection with this allegation.”
These were contained in a statement signed by Mrs Joyce Ofori Kwafo, Corporate Affairs and Media Relations Manager at the Forestry Commission.
The statement was issued following a press release issued by Forest Watch in Accra on July 31, 2018, which was signed by Samuel Mawutor, the Coordinator, calling for a probe into the alleged involvement of the Commission and its CEO in illegal mining.
The statement said as the Chief Executive of the Forestry Commission, it is his sole prerogative to ensure the sustainability and growth of Ghana’s forests. Having this in mind, he has initiated a lot of afforestation projects, popular among them is the Youth in Afforestation Programme, which is jointly implemented by Forestry Commission and the Youth Employment Agency. (YEA).
“We want the air to be cleared of all erroneous impressions about the Forestry Commission and its Chief Executive, Mr. Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, as that will restore the hard earned reputation of the Commission and Mr. Owusu Afriyie.
“Once again, we wish to state that Forestry Commission and its Chief Executive are the custodians for the protection, development and sustainable management of Ghana’s forests and will therefore, not do anything contrary to what the mandate of the Commission states.,” the statement assured.
Public Agenda News Desk
