The Friends of the Earth (FoE), in collaboration with its partners, on Tuesday opened a two-day media workshop on the Enforcement and Governance for Sustainable Forest Management (CiSoPFLEG) project to assist journalists in reporting on forest governance issues.
The workshop, which was partnered by National Working Group on Forest Certification, also aimed at enhancing their capacity as well as effectively contributing their quota to governance in the forestry sector.
Mr. Christopher Manu, who addressed the media on behalf of Dr. Theo Anderson, Director, FoE- Ghana said the training session formed part of the awareness programme on Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA), which is an agreement between Ghana Government and the European Union.
He said the CiSoPFLEG project was regional in character, and similar initiatives are being implemented in Cote d�Ivoire, Cameroon and D.R. Congo.
Dr. Anderson explained that the main objective of the project was to ensure that in the very near future all timber harvested in Ghana would be from legal sources.
Dr. Kwakye Ameyaw, Operations Manager, Forestry Commission, said the implementation of the 1994 forest policy, with all the associated reforms as compared to that of 1994 policy, could not halt forest degradation.
Speaking on the topic: �Understanding the institutional frame work of the forestry sector�, he said �we have permitted the operations of illegal chainsaw and mining operations as well, at the expense of our forest reserves.�
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