Saturday, November 20, 2010

MINING AREAS NEED STRATEGIC SPATIAL PLANS (PAGE 18, NOV 13, 2010)

THE Ghana Chamber of Mines has suggested to the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development to develop strategic spatial plans for the mining areas.
The chamber noted that due to the absence of spatial, functional and development planning policies for mining areas, the mining industry was finding it difficult to act as a catalyst for turning the mining districts into centres of development or growth poles.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, Dr Joyce R. Aryee, made the suggestion during an interaction with the Western Region press corps in Takoradi.
She said the mining industry had experienced civil, social and environmental engineers who could assist in community development initiatives such as road building, construction and environmental management.
Dr Aryee also said the chamber believed that with the deliberate legislation, the country should in future, boast of prospering mining originated enclaves in the respective mining areas.
Touching on royalties, she said the chamber was advocating for 30 per cent of the royalties to be returned to mining areas and specific infrastructural projects in order to catalyse the socio-economic development of mining districts.
She noted that the Mineral Development Fund (MDF), which had been in existence since 1991 was meant to make available a portion of the mineral royalties to be used directly for the benefit of mining communities for research and other projects related to mining.
However, she said only 10 per cent of the mineral royalties paid by mining companies went into the MDF, while another nine per cent was paid to host communities, with the district assemblies getting 55 per cent, traditional councils 20 per cent and stools 25 per cent.
“The proportion of the total mineral revenue, which goes directly to the five district assemblies represent only 5.5 per cent of total mineral royalty payments”, she said, adding “This amount is woefully inadequate for the stimulation of infrastructural development in the mining communities”.
Dr Aryee said last year a total of GH¢1,873,106.00 was paid to traditional councils, while GH¢ 2,341,382.00 went to the stools with GH¢5,151,041.00 paid to metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies in the mining areas.
She said the mining sub-sector contributed about GH¢319 million to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), representing 18 per cent of the total collections in 2009.
The mining sector, she added, also paid GH¢125 million in corporate tax to the IRS, representing 17 per cent of the total company tax collected in 2009.
According to Dr Aryee producing member companies returned about 76 per cent of the US$ 2.384 million mineral revenue to the country through the Bank of Ghana and the commercial banks in 2009.
She said this was an increase on the 63 per cent returned in 2008 and the aggregate average of 20 per cent companies were required to return to Ghana.
“The significantly high proportion of mineral revenue returned to the country underscored the extent to which the mining industry positively affected the local economy", she explained.
She said the industry deployed US$ 311 million of its fund for labour related costs and US$ 512 million on capital expenditure.
She said producing member companies also paid to the state, and voluntarily contributed to host communities and the general public a total amount of US$ 166 million.
Dr Aryee said the industry directly employed 12,294 people, out of which 98 per cent were Ghanaians and two per cent expatriates.
Touching on the railways, she noted that the state of the Western rail lines continued to affect the exploitation of bulk minerals such as manganese and bauxite.
“Bulk mineral producers are forced to haul ore from their respective mines (Nsuta and Awaso) to the Takoradi Port mainly by road because of the state of the rail”, she added.
She noted that the establishment of the Ghana Railways Development Authority offered hope for the efficient running of the country’s rail network, especially the Western rail lines.
Also, she said the government’s US$ 2 million package for the rehabilitation of the Western rail lines should help improve the logistical options of the bulk mineral producers.
She said the chamber would continue to integrate the industry into the local economy, champion the attraction of Ghanaian investors into mining and encourage government to mainstream mining as a growth pole for development.
She said the chamber would continue to pursue the quest for mining to be repositioned as a catalyst for development rather than as a source of revenue only.
She noted that opportunities abounded for the country to harness the potential linkages between the mining industry and secondary industries in the country.
Dr Aryee said the chamber would also continue to work with stakeholders to implement principles of collaborative decision-making and shared responsibility for the resolution of social, environment and development issues related to mining.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

WESTERN REGION ROADS TO BE REPAIRED (PAGE 42, NOV 17, 2010)

THE Western Regional Minister, Mr Paul Evans Aidoo, has assured the people in the Sefwi area that the government is making frantic efforts to reconstruct the Benchimaa Junction-Oseikojokrom trunk road to facilitate the movement of people and carting of agricultural produce from the area to the marking centres.
He said the government had secured a loan facility for the construction of the first 43-kilometres of the road under the first phase of the project.
Mr Aidoo said the proposal for the construction of the road was to be submitted to cabinet for discussion after which it would be sent to Parliament for approval.
He said after Parliamentary approval, the project would be advertised for contractors to show interest after which it would go through valuation and bidding and subsequently awarded on contract.
Mr Aidoo announced this when he paid separate courtesy calls on the chiefs and elders of Elluokrom, Asuontaa, Adjoafua, Kwamebikrom, Debiso, Essam, Oseikojokrom and Yawmatwa as part of his four-day official visit to the Bia District.
The chiefs had complained bitterly about the poor road network in the district, particularly the Benchimaa-Oseikojokrom trunk road which is in very deplorable state.
It was detected during inspection tour that most of the bailey bridges on the road, especially the one spanning River Benchimaa had virtually caved in making it difficult for the carting of cocoa, timber, food stuffs to the marketing centres and the movement of people.
Some farmers in the district were seen using donkeys for the carting of cocoa to the buying centres since drivers found it very difficult to use the roads as a result of its poor condition, especially during the current rainy season.
Mr Aidoo said regular routine maintenance would be carried out to make the road motorable before the actual reconstruction started.
He said the government was seeking another loan for the reconstruction of the second phase of the Benchimaa Junction-Oseikojokrom road.
According to him, another facility was being sought from the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) for the construction of cocoa roads in the district.
Mr Aidoo stated that some roads in the region, such as Samreboi-Prestea and Dadieso-Africa ones, had been rendered impassable as a result of the continuous heavy rains.
He said the reconstruction of the Benchimaa Junction-Oseikojokrom road would open up the area for rapid socio-economic development, stressing that the government would not disappoint the Sefwi people.
The Regional Minister recognised that the people in the Sefwi area had lent their unflinching support for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government even when it was in opposition by helping the party to regain power.
He said the upward review of the producer price of cocoa was to discourage smuggling of the commodity to the neighbouring countries, and therefore, urged the cocoa farmers to assist the government to achieve that objective.
The chief of Elluokrom, Nana Ahoin Panyini, commended the government for increasing the producer price of cocoa, and also praised it for its policies and programmes towards the development of the country.
He appealed to the government to re-demarcate the Bia District since it was very large for effective and efficient administration.
Nana Panyini also called for the construction of the drainage system to check erosion in the town.
The chief of Asuontaa, Nana Kojo Samah, appealed to the government for the provision of a school, a market, potable water and a health post.
At Essam, the chief Nana Baffour Ennin expressed concern about the slow down of many development projects which were started some years back and called for their reactivation.
He mentioned the construction of the district hospital which was not progressing as expected.
Nana Ennin said the construction of the hospital was very important since most of the people in the district were farmers, who had to seek medical attention at either Sefwi Asafo or Dormaa Ahenkro in the Brong Ahafo Region.
He mentioned the other projects as the Jubilee school, Essam market and the Essam-Kwamebikrom road.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

BIA ASSEMBLY UNDERTAKES MORE DEV PROJECTS (PAGE 36, NOV 10, 2010)

THE Bia District Assembly has embarked on many development projects throughout the district to improve the living conditions of residents, who are predominantly cocoa farmers.
The projects, some of which started about three years ago, cover local government, education, health, sanitation, water, roads, as well as manpower development.
Some of them have been completed, while others are at various stages of completion.
They are being financed with money from the District Assemblies Common Fund, the District Development Fund, the Stool Lands Secretariat, HIPC funds, the Ghana Education Trust Fund and Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD).
The projects include the construction of a modern cocoa clinic at Sefwi Debiso, which is being funded by the COCOBOD.
The project, which was started in 2009, is 90 per cent completed and comprises a two-storey doctors’ quarters, an out-patient department and administration block, a labour ward, male and female wards and a laundry.
Others are the construction of the Bia District Hospital at Essam at an estimated cost of GH¢131,311,030, which is about 80 per cent completed, the construction of a CHPS compound and an out-patient department at Akaatiso.
The assembly is putting up a central administration block and an assembly hall complex at Essam at an estimated cost of GH¢901,293 and five-room chalets at Essam at a cost of GH¢79,966.
It has also completed the construction of area council office blocks at Elloukrom and Kaase at a cost of GH¢34,307.92 and GH¢49,643.20, respectively.
The assembly is constructing offices for decentralised departments at Essam at an estimated cost of GH¢51,878 and has also completed the provision of streets lights for the people of Essam, Debiso and Oseikojokrom at a cost of GH¢43,125.
The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Juaboso, Mr Solomon Fiakye, who is also acting as the DCE for Bia as a result of the death of the substantive DCE, made these known when the Western Regional Minister, Mr Paul Evans Aidoo, inspected some of the projects during a four-day working visit to the district.
Mr Fiakye said the assembly was also renovating the Oseikojokrom market at a cost of GH¢42,550 and constructing market sheds at Essam at a cost of GH¢36,000.
He said it was also constructing classroom blocks, offices and stores at Asemnyinakrom, Adjoafua, Essam, Debiso, Tigare, Elluokrom and Ntosue, adding that a slaughterhouse was under construction at Debiso, while a 12-seater aqua privy public place of convenience was being put up at Yawmatwa and a meat shop at Debiso.
The assembly is undertaking the construction of mechanised boreholes fitted with pumps at the assembly’s new residential area and office blocks at Essam and Debiso, as well as the supply of small town water and sanitation facilities for the people of Essam, Debiso, Adjoafua, Yawmatwa, Kofie Ponkor, Adabokrom, Oseikojokrom and GNTC.
According to Mr Aidoo, it was government policy for every district assembly to have a district hospital to ensure effective health delivery.
He stated that the new districts were lagging behind in the provision of health facilities, office and residential accommodation.

Friday, November 12, 2010

MINING COMPANY TRAINS 141 YOUTH (PAGE 42, NOV 8, 2010)

ADAMUS Resources Limited, in collaboration with the Australian High Commission, has trained a total of 141 youth from 15 communities in the company’s operational areas in the Ellembelle District and the Nzema East Municipality in the Western Region under its youth capacity building training programme.
The company, which is developing the Nzema Gold Project, has chosen youth education and skills development as part of its social responsibility, since it believe that youth education and skills development are key bedrock of socio-economic development of any nation as they help build the foundation for poverty alleviation in the long run.
The company has collaborated with the Australian High Commission to spend over US$ 100,000 to train the youth in its mining communities in carpentry, welding and fabrication mechanical, plumbing, masonry and electrical installation since 2008.
Fifty youth have completed a six-month training under the third phase of the programme and have passed out at the Kikam Technical Training Institute in the Ellembelle District.
At the graduation ceremony, the acting General Manager of Adamus Resources Limited, Mr Attie Roux, said about 60 per cent of the 141 trained were self-employed and 24 per cent were working with various organisations, including the company and its sub-contractors, while the remaining were either continuing their education or looking for jobs.
“This has been a very successful programme and the company plans to seek accreditation for the programme to ensure future graduates get recognition in seeking jobs and in furthering their education,” he said.
Mr Rous added that the company saw youth education and technical skills development as sustainable investment.
The general manager stressed that the company was committed to broadening its engagements in development projects and capacity building in the local communities, adding that technical skills development would be one of the key areas of funding to build a sustainable legacy for the company and the youth in the mining communities.
Mr Roux said although Adamus Resources was yet to commence production, the company had spent about US$290,000 since 2007 on social responsibility, community development and donations.
The Australian High Commissioner to Ghana, Mr William Williams, said the commission had a legacy of investing in people and that the skills the beneficiaries had acquired would help them contribute to the national economy.
He said his outfit would continue to invest in more of such programmes to ensure the training of many youth in the country.
The paramount chief of the Nzema East Traditional Area, Awulae Amihere Kpanyili, appealed to the company and the Australian High Commission to continue to sponsor more of such training programmes and also assist the communities in their development efforts to ensure mutual relationship and co-existence.

Saturday, November 6, 2010

ADOPT MEASURES TO COPE WITH INFLUX OF PEOPLE...Aidoo urges assemblies (PAGE 35, NOV 4, 2010)

THE Western Regional Minister, Mr Paul Evans Aidoo, has stressed the need for metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies in the region to think about measures to be put in place to cope with the influx of people into the region when the drilling of the oil starts.
He stated that a lot of resources would be available to meet the increasing needs of people in the region.
Mr Aidoo said for instance that there would be increase in the demand for social amenities such as schools, hospitals, water facilities, energy supply among others, as the towns grew.
“We must eschew all corrupt tendencies and ensure that people derive maximum benefits from any public venture,” he said, adding “Again let me remind all and sundry that the NDC believes that corruption thrives in a system that is not transparent or unaccountable and irresponsive to the needs and concerns of our people”.
This was contained in an address read on Mr Aidoo’s behalf by the Western Regional Co-ordinating Director, Mr David Yaro, at the opening ceremony of a four-day workshop on financial regulation management and accounting for 105 officials from metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies in the region.
The workshop organised by the Local Government Service in conjunction with the Institute of Local Government, was meant to explain the concept and importance of revenue mobilisation, explain the theory of physical decentralisation systems, to review the key reforms and trend of public finance and also to enable participants to understand the roles and relationship between central and local government.
It was attended by district co-ordinating directors, presiding members, budget analysts, finance officers, internal auditors and chairmen of finance and administrative subcommittees of the various assemblies in the region.
Mr Aidoo said as social democrats, the government sought to partner all citizens to eradicate corruption, deepen political accountability and transparency in governance and enhance the discourse of budgets and procedures adopted in public accounts.
“It is for these reasons that workshops like these are very useful. It will surely enhance your knowledge and enable all of us to strive to do the right things to avoid embarrassing situations,” he said.
The regional minister stressed that as managers of their respective assemblies, they were expected to live above board in their administration by attaining a good knowledge of the laws in order to eliminate waste so as to make savings for further development.
He explained that the workshop was a tool to sharpen the participants’ administrative and managerial skills so that they could do what was expected of them.
“Permit me to say that the task ahead of us and the challenges that we encounter as we endeavour to implement these financial regulations are insurmountable,” Mr Aidoo stated.
He said, “As we go through these four-day training session some of our difficulties will be addressed so that we leave here with a better understanding of the subject matter”.

PEF HOLDS SEMINAR ON OIL FOR MEDIA PRACTITIONERS (PAGE 35, NOV 3, 2010)

THE Private Enterprise Foundation (PEF) in partnership with the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has organised a day’s seminar for over 20 media practitioners in the Western Region on the opportunities in the country’s emerging oil and gas industry for local participation.
The aim of the dialogue was to ensure that the media, a key partner in promoting local content and participation, fully understands the issues in the emerging oil and gas industry.
This is in recognition that a knowledgeable and active media is critical to having an informed and engaged public and business community so that appropriate policies will be put in place by the government for the benefit of the people.
In an address read on behalf of the Director General of the Private Enterprise Foundation (PEF), Dr Osei Boeh-Ocansey, he observed that simply developing local content policies following existing international best practice would not help in increasing local content and high participation in the oil industry.
He said it was easy for the multi-national oil companies to circumvent the local contents provisions by claiming that local companies did not meet the requirements to do business with them.
Dr Boeh-Ocansey , therefore, said the foundation would like to call on the government to support the private sector in terms of training in the areas of standards and skills development, and other aspects of business development.
“For us at PEF, as a country, we should clearly define standards appropriate for Ghana, clearly communicate these to the local companies, what assistance can be provided in helping local companies meet these standards and how to monitor compliance of utilisation of local content in the oil and gas industry,” he emphasised.
Dr Boeh-Ocansey added that the foundation recommended that the country should focus on standards and skills development for operators of local enterprises because that was crucial to achieving the 90 per cent local content target by the government by 2020.
He stated that the oil and gas discovery in the country had raised the hopes of the government and the general public and as such, there were high expectations from the people of Ghana about the future of the economy and the impact of the discovery on their economic livelihoods.
He said in other African countries that discovered oil ahead of Ghana, it was said that in most cases, oil discovery was a “curse rather than a blessing,” adding “This may be because the people in particular and the economy as a whole did not derive the maximum benefits from the revenue generated.”
The director-general said a key development objective of the government regarding Ghana’s oil discovery was to grow the economy rapidly to achieve accelerated development and industrialisation.
“It is anticipated that the development of the oil and gas industry would be a source of accelerated growth, poverty reduction and general prosperity to the people of Ghana,” he said.
Dr Boeh-Ocansey said the active involvement of Ghanaians in the oil and gas development through local content and participation had become a major policy issue.
He said it was the desire of the government and the people that the control as well as the benefits in oil and gas discovery and production would remain with Ghanaians.
Dr Boeh-Ocansey added that for the people of Ghana to actively participate in the oil and gas sector, they needed to be aware of the opportunities in the sector that they could take advantage of.
A former President of the Ghana Institution of Engineers, Dr Robert Adjaye, in his presentation, mentioned some of the challenges to local content as relatively undeveloped industrial base, inadequate infrastructure, lack of comprehensive and integrated national capacity building programme, as well as inadequate training centres and institutions and the poor concept of time and quality.
The Vice President of the Ghana Journalists Association, Mr Affail Monney urged the journalists to play their watchdog role properly to ensure transparency and accountability in the emerging oil and gas discovery.
“Journalists in the Western Region have to serve as the eyes, ears and mouth of the entire nation as far as the oil discovery is concerned,” he stressed.

GOLDEN STAR SPENDS $500,000 ON PROJECTS (PAGE 42, NOV 3, 2010)

GOLDEN Star (Wassa Mine) Limited has spent a total of US$500,000 on community projects on education, water and sanitation for the people in its area of operation.
The General Manager of Golden Star (Wassa Mine), Mr Neale Laffin announced this at the inauguration of a US$ 81,000 16-seater aqua privy public place of convenience for the people of Mpohor in the Mpohor Wassa East District in the Western Region.
He said the company had spent over US$150,000 on various development projects at Mpohor alone.
Mr Laffin mentioned some of the projects as the dislodging of seven different heaps of waste dumps at Mpohor in an environmentally friendly way, the disinfecting of all domestic water wells, the mechanisation of water systems and the construction of the 16-seater aqua privy public place of convenience.
Mr Laffin said Golden Star Resources, the mother company paid US$ 6,695,796 in royalties to the government within the first two quarters of this year, out of which Golden Star (Wassa Mine) paid US$ 3,412,471.
“This we believe will assist the government and its functionaries to bend easily towards communities from which the resources were taken and put up more infrastructure for their development,” he said.
 The general manager stated that the company had also provided scholarships to 42 brilliant, needy students in second-cycle educational institutions, adding that 35 more students would join the scheme this academic year.
To address the issue of employment of local community members, he said the company had initiated a youth apprenticeship training programme in employable skills development in masonry, carpentry and mobile phone repairs.
Mr Laffin said 60 youth across the company’s three operational sites would benefit when it takes off this month at Ningo, near Benso in the district.
He said the Golden Star Oil Palm Plantation Project was growing strong and that the company had spent US$ 2,586,362 on about 790 hectares and 411 associated contract workers.
According to Mr Laffin, Golden Star (Wassa Mine) by policy was committed to being a part of the community in which it operated by maintaining and building strong community relationships.
He said those relationships were based on mutual respect and recognition of each others’ rights along with an active partnership and long term commitment to the betterment of the community.
The District Chief Executive for Mpohor Wassa East, Mr Anthony Bassaw, appealed to the company to expand its scholarship scheme to cover more students in its communities.
He also urged the company to assist the Mpohor Wassa East District Assembly to provide Mpohor a deserving market.
The paramount chief of Mpohor Traditional Area, Osabarima Kwaw Entsie, also enjoined the company to construct a hostel for the Mpohor Senior High School.
He urged the company to find a lasting solution to the high level of blasting over which people in the area had expressed serious concern.

SPEAK OUT AGAINST INSULTS (1B, NOV 2, 2010)

Christian leaders have been charged to rise up and speak against “the culture of insults”, which is creeping into Ghanaian politics.
Speaking at the opening of the Catholic Bishops Conference at Sefwi Wiawso yesterday, the President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference, The Most Rev Gabriel Palmer-Buckle, charged men of God not to be silent and allow “the noble art of politics to be dragged into the quagmire of insults, character assassinations and threats of violence”.
“I think the church will have to call to order the traditionally and culturally unacceptable culture of insults being perpetrated on our airwaves,” he added.
The Most Rev Palmer-Buckle described the phenomenon as very dangerous for the political development of the country, which, according to him, was known to be peaceful and its people peace-loving.
“Surely, if we want to cultivate peace, we shall have to protect the dignity of this nation and of each and every person in it. We also have to protect the sacredness of the various political high offices in the country”.
Speaking on the theme “If you want to cultivate peace protect creation”, The Most Rev Palmer-Buckle said the yearly problems that parents and their children faced to get admission to senior high schools was an issue which should engage the attention of all.
He said last April, the Catholic Church organised the first national forum on education, where it dealt with the many problems and challenges facing education in the country and especially obstacles the church found in the development and delivery of education.
“We shall have to revisit this sector once again in the face of the present hue and cry,” he said.
The Most Rev Palmer-Buckle said media reports of armed robbery, murder, rape, defilement, fraud and corruption were also disturbing.
“Are we losing our moral compass? We have cause to worry about our human and social ecology. We have to work at protecting creation, namely human beings, if we are to have lasting peace in this country,” he said.
Touching on the theme, he said the church had repeatedly and unceasingly called the attention of all and sundry, especially the government and the governed, to the mindless exploitation of the country’s natural resources, which is resulting in the wanton degradation and destruction of the environment all in the name of development.
He said from the present state of things, the Sefwi area, for instance, which is endowed with many natural resources, was being made a “destroyed paradise” as a result of human greed and indiscipline in how people were exploiting the God-given wealth and heritage.
He said God had endowed Ghana with many natural resources in the form of gold, manganese, diamond, bauxite and recently rich deposits of oil and gas off-shore and on land.
“We have to protect all these as stewards and custodians,” The Most Rev Gabriel Palmer-Buckle said.

WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT: NEW POLICY LAUDABLE (PAGE 42, NOV 1, 2010)

IN 1994, the government of Ghana adopted the Forest and Wildlife Policy as a working document for its forest and wildlife protection.
From this policy, the Wildlife Division developed clearly defined futuristic objectives and strategies for the wildlife sector in its Community and Collaborative Wildlife Management Policy of 2000.
One of the key strategies in this policy is to encourage the conservation of major ecosystems and wildlife outside protected areas, using local community institutions as well as devolving authority for managing these resources to the local authorities.
This is a significant shift from the previous policy which was geared mainly towards the complete protection of protected areas with very little involvement of local communities.
The Wildlife Division thus could not draw on the support of these key stakeholders to fulfil its mandate.
Due to the lack of support, most areas outside protected areas have virtually been depleted of wildlife resources as a result of over exploitation and habitat degradation.
The pressure on the protected areas is therefore increasing and it is subsequently leading to the depletion of the nation’s store of biodiversity.
Conservationists all over the world have since the late 1970s and early 1980s, been searching for practicable and sustainable alternatives to traditional militant approach of conserving natural resources.
Consequently, Community Based Natural Resource Management approaches that seek to involve the local people who bear the cost of conservation, are being implemented by many nations, including Ghana.
The unique goal of these approaches is to empower the local people by according them the necessary power to be at the centre stage of natural resources management by utilising their own capacity to guarantee their livelihood security and environmental conservation.
This position is premised on the recognition by many experts that conservation areas and values in many countries will survive better if human concerns of subsistence, survival, livelihood, income generation, social recognition, among other pertinent issues are addressed.
The concept of communities managing their wildlife resources through Community Resource Management Areas (CREMAs) has therefore been accepted and it is being implemented by local communities in the sustainable management of natural resources.
This is a significant demonstration of the government’s willingness to allow local communities to manage their own natural resources.
The CREMA is a geographically defined area which includes one or more communities that have agreed to manage natural resources in a sustainable manner, and it is based on the establishment of areas where wildlife management is incorporated into existing land use systems.
It is also a community based organisation that is built on existing community decision making structures with an executive body and a constitution that guides the activities and regulations of the CREMA.
One of such CREMAs has been established for the people of the Cape Three Points and Princess Town in the Ahanta West District in the Western Region, bringing to 10 the number of CREMAs in the region. There are five around the Ankasa Conservation Area and the other four around Bia Conservation Area.
Most forest reserves in the Western Region are under serious siege from chain-saw operators, illegal gold miners as well as farmers who are plundering the region’s forest resources with impunity.
In the Afoa Hills, Tano Suraw and Anhwiaso South Forest Reserves in the Bibiani-Anhwiaso-Bekwai District, farming activities are being carried out in those reserves.
It is also the same story in the Tano Anwia, Suhuma, Sui River and KRHI Forest Reserves.
While in the Bia, Dissue River, Muro River, Tano Suhien, Subri River and Bonsa River Forest Reserves, illegal chain-saw and felling of trees are also being carried out there in addition to illegal mining in the River Bonsa.
Unfortunately, most chiefs are said to be guilty of complicity in these unacceptable situations because as it is generally known, the illegal farmers in the forest reserves are mostly settler farmers from other parts of the country who got access to the reserves through the chiefs after paying drinks and other rents.
Speaking at the inauguration of the Cape Three Points/Princess Town CREMA at the Cape Three Points, the Director of Operations- Wildlife Division, Mr Alex Akwoviah, said the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources had pledged its support to continuously work through the Forestry Commission to strengthen and build the capacity of those recognised community institutions to sustainable manage their natural resources.
He therefore, urged the Ahanta West District Assembly and other stakeholders to continue supporting the newly established Cape Three Points/Princess Town CREMA to successfully manage their natural resources.
Mr Akwoviah was convinced that as more CREMAs were established in the country, depletion of wildlife resources would be controlled thereby facilitating a better protection for protected areas since the pressure on them would be reduced with adequate resources for use by local communities.
Mr Akwoviah congratulated members of the Cape Three Points/Princess Town CREMA for the patience, commitment and sacrifice they had made to get to that stage.
He urged the Ahanta West District Assembly to work with the CREMA in enforcing the rules and regulations governing the CREMA.
He also appealed to all conservation, non-governmental organisations as well as development partners to assist the CREMA in whatever capacity they could to make the programme a shining example of community participation in wildlife management throughout Africa.
The director expressed profound gratitude to the French government for supporting the Wildlife Division and CARE International, through the Community Forest Biodiversity Programme from which the facilitation of the establishment of the CREMA was funded.
He further commended traditional authorities, the district assembly and all communities forming the CREMA for collaborating with the management and staff of the Forestry Services Division, Conservation Foundation, CARE International and Wildlife Division to establish the Cape Three Points/Princess Town CREMA in the district.