It has emerged that a total of 181,277.319 cubic metres of Rosewood salvaged and exported during Mahama-led National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration only earned Ghana GH¢93.98 million.
The amount is far less than GH¢291.807 million earned by the country from the export of 108,773.171 cubic metres between January 7, 2017 and January 7, 2021, Minister of Lands and Natural Resources has revealed.
Answering questions on the Floor of Parliament and interacting with the press corps after on Monday, Mr. Samuel Abdulai Jinapor gave the breakdown of the 181,277.319 cubic metres of Rosewood salvaged and exported by the Mahama government.
According to him, in 2013 a volume of 40,998.646 cubic metres Rosewood was exported at the value of GH¢17.28 million, 20,823.978 cubic metres in 2014 at GH¢8.155 million, 22,770.16 cubic metres in 2015 at GH¢13.010 million, and 96,684.519 cubic metres in 2016 at GH¢55.534 million.
On the other hand, 56,190.892 cubic metres of Rosewood was sold for GH¢148.814 million in 2017 with 42,561.031 cubic metres in 2018 sold for GH¢112.946 million and 10,021.248 cubic metres in 2019 sold for GH¢30.047 million, adding that they were no export in 2020 and 2021.
The Minister said President Akufo-Addo government had not only taken far-reaching interventions to protect the forest cover of the country, but also made the country to reap better benefit from salvaged Rosewood.
“Since 1900, the forest cover of Ghana has been deleted by 80% and therefore required urgent measures to be implemented since it was getting to a point our very survival as a country was to be threatened,” he told the media.
“In a very unprecedented and dramatic fashion, President Akufo-Addo has taken the measures with consequential interventions regarding the harvesting of Rosewood,” he argued.
He disclosed that available data showed that between January 7, 2013 and January 7, 2017, a total of 13 companies were issued with permits to salvage Rosewood.
Mr. Jinapor mentioned the companies as Trans-Atlantic Resources Limited, GL Interlink Limited, Riyaad Farm and Wood Limited, Dero Limited, Kofi Vinyo and Company Limited, Jowak Limited, and Time Concept Limited.
The rest are Boakyewaa Enterprise Limited, Adu-Tutu and Sons Limited, Sikadon Woods Limited, Kambonse Ghana Limited, Savannah Investment (GH) Limited, and Brasoma Company Limited.
The Minister noted that in 2017, after the government re-imposed the ban on harvesting of Rosewood, a decision was taken to diversify participation in the salvaging of already harvested Rosewood, as it was noted that some of the companies holding licenses were actually subletting with onerous conditions.
“Between January 7, 2017 and January 7, 2021, a total of 104 different companies were granted salvage permits to evacuate Rosewood from the bush,” he revealed.
He pointed out that “an analysis of the figures showed that while the number of permits issued between January 7, 2017 and January 7, 2021 far exceeds the permits issued between January 7, 2013 and January 7, 2017, more Rosewood was salvaged and exported from the country between 2013 and 2017 than between 2017 and 2021.”
“And although the volumes exported between 2013 and 2017 far exceeds the volumes exported between 2017 and 2021, the revenue accruing to government from these exports between 2017 and 2021 is more than triple the revenue that accrued to government between 2013 and 2017,” he stressed.
He noted that since he became the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources on March 5, 2021, he had not, to date, granted a single authorization for the harvesting, salvaging or exporting of Rosewood.
The Minister said he did not intend to grant authorisation in the foreseeable future until such time that the Government is satisfied that the harvesting of the species will be sustainable.
By Ernest Kofi Adu, Parliament House