Civil Society Organistion, Northern Patriots in Research and Advocacy (NORPRA) has called on government to demonstrate one more time that it is a listening government by revoking all permits granted to over 20 companies to harvest and process rosewood trees in northern Ghana and that of the Brong Ahafo region.
The CSO In a statement has said “NORPRA has intercepted a copy of a document signed by the Chief Executive of Forestry Commission granting approval to over 20 companies to engage in logging rosewood in northern Ghana and Brong Ahafo region. In an effort to ascertain the facts on the operations of these companies, NORPRA made a field trip to a number of communities in the Talensi district of the upper east region and shockingly saw for itself rosewood being cut down in commercial quantities”.
The statement said “What is more worrying is that government is engaging in this environmentally unfriendly action at a time Ghana’s development partners and the international community are sympathizing with the Ghanaian people on the increasing impacts of climate change on livelihoods and supporting the country with huge resources to implement a number of climate adaptation projects to help the people especially rural communities to improve livelihoods under severe climate change impacts through effective adaptation interventions”.
It called on the government to end the illegal logging activities taking place in the various forests in the SADA zone.
“We wish to conclude by urging government to, as a matter of urgency stop all these companies from further logging of the rosewood trees in northern Ghana that is already grabbling with desertification and other climate change impacts. NORPRA will not hesitate to embark on series of well-organized actions to stop the companies from turning the affected communities into a complete desert if government does not respond in good time.
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NORPRA CALLS ON GOVERNMENT TO STOP HARVESTING ROESEWOOD IN NORTHERN SAVANNAH ZONE
The Northern Patriots in Research and Advocacy (NORPRA) is calling on the Nana Addo-led administration to demonstrate one more time that it is a listening government by revoking all permits granted to over 20 companies to harvest and process rosewood trees in northern Ghana and that of the Brong Ahafo region.
NORPRA has intercepted a copy of a document signed by the Chief Executive of Forestry Commission granting approval to over 20 companies to engage in logging rosewood in northern Ghana and Brong Ahafo region. In an effort to ascertain the facts on the operations of these companies, NORPRA made a field trip to a number of communities in the Talensi district of the upper east region and shockingly saw for itself rosewood being cut down in commercial quantities.
It is recalled that environmentally conscious Ghanaians, climate change advocates and people of northern Ghana strongly supported the NPP in opposition when the party raised the alarm bell through a press conference on the felling of these rosewood tress in northern Ghana. The Nana Addo led government was again highly went applauded when government in the 2017 Budget Statement and Economic Policy stated that it had placed high premium on combating climate change through prioritization of climate change programmes and projects. Regrettably, this same government in this very month of August is authorizing the cutting down of the same rosewood trees in the part of the country that has livelihoods seriously threatened by the harsh impacts of climate change.
What is more worrying is that government is engaging in this environmentally unfriendly action at a time Ghana’s development partners and the international community are sympathizing with the Ghanaian people on the increasing impacts of climate change on livelihoods and supporting the country with huge resources to implement a number of climate adaptation projects to help the people especially rural communities to improve livelihoods under severe climate change impacts through effective adaptation interventions.
Government needs to be constantly reminded that research has already shown clearly that impacts of climate change will intensify in northern Ghana with temperature increasing by 2OC by the year 2030. This is certainly very alarming and what NORPRA expects of government is to rededicate itself to the implementation of a very comprehensive national policy on climate change to minimize the threats posed by climate change.
This very action of the government is therefore not only undermining and defeating the noble objectives of the country’s climate change policy and that of the Paris Agreement on climate change but also a demonstration of no practical commitment to the global development agenda such as the Africa Agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
We wish to conclude by urging government to, as a matter of urgency stop all these companies from further logging of the rosewood trees in northern Ghana that is already grabbling with desertification and other climate change impacts. NORPRA will not hesitate to embark on series of well-organized actions to stop the companies from turning the affected communities into a complete desert if government does not respond in good time.
source:a1radioonline.com
