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The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has alleged that the government issued permits to some companies to cut Rosewood trees in some districts in the Northern part of the country.

Government banned the felling, harvesting and exportation of rosewood in the country back in 2014, citing the “abuse of permits granted some loggers to harvest rosewood in the catchment area of the Bui dam” as the reason for the imposition of the ban.

However, according to a Deputy Communications Director of the NPP, Anthony Karbo, the party has some documents which suggest that the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources had contracted 13 companies to fell the Rosewood for exportation.

“There’s a lot going on with SADA which the media is not averse to. It is important that we take the opportunity to raise these issues. It is clear that the Ministry of Lands and Forestry has given authorization to some 13 companies to engage in illegal felling of rosewood trees of which a 40-footer container of rosewood trees cost 50 thousand dollars,” Anthony Karbo said on Eyewitness News.

According to him, the move by the Ministry contravened the National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration’s Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) project, which is aimed at protecting the vegetation in the north of the country.

“In three districts in the Northern Region; Sissala West, Sissala East and Wa East for instance, over 10 thousand containers have been exported at the expense of the district, the chiefs and farmland. This runs contrary to the entire SADA vision of afforestation and green moth where government sunk some Ghc32 million in tree planting exercises which we saw very little about.”

“There is no legal regime in this country surrounding the felling of rosewood trees.
The government has no business allowing these illegal companies to go ahead destroying the vegetation already in the Savannah areas where the ecology is challenged. They have no business whatsoever selling these trees in an area that is close to the Savannah and almost entering the Sahel where the government itself anchored its vision on accelerated development. What does any company have to do with felling trees in an area where government is sinking money into planting programs that haven’t been successful?”

He stated that, the people in the affected areas had complained about the situation to the President during his ‘Accounting to the People’ tour, but had not received any help.

“The districts in which these trees are being felled are not benefiting whatsoever. The chiefs have had cause to complain to the President but nothing has happened. The destruction is going on and the communities are up in arms with these companies.”

No felling of Rosewood trees

But the Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has denied the allegations leveled against his Ministry.

He explained that the Ministry had only contracted some companies to process the Rosewood that had been cut prior to the ban, but rejected the claims that those companies were felling trees.

“Before the economic importance of rosewood was realised in this country, people were cutting it for charcoal. At a point in time we realised that the cutting of Rosewood was becoming rampant so government placed a ban on it. Before the ban, people had already got some wood,” he stated on Eyewitness News.

“The Ministry issued letters to some specific companies to process the wood that had been cut and not cut any fresh or standing Rosewood. I would challenge anyone on any day who says they have seen a letter stating categorically that somebody was authorised to cut fresh Rosewood in this country.”