Akawkrom (Ashanti Region)- Cabinet has approved an amendment to the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) Act 1994 to bring forestry sector investment into the list of exemptions requiring prior approval for acquisition of plant and machinery into the country.

Mr Thomas Broni, Deputy Minister of Lands and Forestry, who announced this said this would help the Ministry to regulate new investments in the sector and ensure that only the required plant and equipment are installed for the wood processing industry.

He was addressing the 10th annual general meeting of the Ghana Institute of Professional Foresters (GIPF) at the Wood Industries Training Centre (WITC) at Akyawkrom in the Ejisu-Juaben District. The two-day meeting is under the theme, ''Investment opportunities in foreign and wildlife resources in the ECOWAS sub-region, Ghana's contribution."

Mr Broni said a number of legislative reviews and amendments had also been made and these include the Timber Resources Management Amendment Act, 2002, Timber Resources Management Regulation Amendment Act, 2002 and Forest Plantation Development Amendment Act, 2002.

The Deputy Minister said the law enforcement agencies were currently being educated and sensitised on forest laws. Mr Broni told the meeting that the government had initiated a forest plantation feasibility study to develop a strategy for investment in commercial trees plantations.

A Forest Plantation Development Centre had already been established to co-ordinate the activities of investors in plantation development and provide technical assistance to tree growers. Dr. Edward Dwumfour, a Natural Resource Expert, said to ensure sustainable management and protection of the forest resources, it was important to tackle rural poverty.

Dr K. Armstrong Mensah, President of the GIPF, said it was important for professional foresters in the country to link up with their counterparts in the sub-region and share experiences on how to efficiently manage forest resources.