CSOs addressing the media in Tamale
Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in the Northern region have called on the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources to enforce the ban on illegal Rosewood trade.
In February, 2020 the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Kwaku Asomah-Cheremeh announced an extension of the ban on the illegal logging and exportation of Rosewood in Ghana indefinitely following the earlier ban announced in March, 2019.
According to the CSOs, Rosewood species which take 50-100 years to mature is being endangered due to unsustainable logging and illegal trade in the species.
“We note that the overexploitation of Rosewood amidst the ban on illegal logging and export is due to lack of enforcement of the ban and commitment by the government and the agencies responsible.”
The CSOs are demanding that the ministry enforces the law against the felling of trees in forest reserves, and for the government to make the penalties for illegal logging and trade in Rosewood more deterrent.
“Immediate steps must be taken beyond the verbal ban to stop anymore logging, transport and export of any Rosewood no matter where it is and community, district, regional and national awareness be created and sustained to protect rosewood, restock it alongside the shea tree and treat this as a community development strategy.
“Classify Rosewood, Shea, Dawa Dawa trees and Cashew into the economic tree protection Act of 1979 that has only cocoa as an economic tree. This, many believe, will help better manage the situation and strengthen the hands of local authorities and security agencies.”
Mr Osman Abdel Rahman, Co-Convener, Baobab Market and Executive Director of GDCA, appealed to Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies to stop levying and collecting fees for charcoal and Rosewood exports, granting permission for land use to charcoal burners and rosewood traders, issuing permits for the harvesting of rosewood and other economic trees.
He urged the various assemblies to assist affected communities to replant, protect and nurture rosewood and other economic trees as part of a local economic development programme (LED) and form Rosewood sub-committees at the Assemblies to monitor and enforce a ban on the illegal logging and trade in rosewood.
“they can work with traditional authorities to enact bylaws forbidding the felling of Rosewood and other economic trees like Shea, Dawa Dawa, etc.”
They, however, called for the enforcement of the second provision to Article 164 of the National Criminal Law47 that criminalizes bribes given to non-Chinese public officials and to officials of an international public organization.
“CSOs should continue to monitor the movement of rosewood to check if the ban is being enforced after August 31, when the court order elapses. The Baobab Market will closely monitor developments in the illegal rosewood trade as they unfold within the legal confines of the country.”
FROM Eric Kombat, Tamale