Kumasi, Nov. 28, GNA - The Ghana Timber Association (GTA) has set up a national taskforce to clamp down on all forms of illegal activities in the forestry sector as a way of protecting the forest, increase government revenue from the sector and ensure fair prices for timber logs supplied by members of the Association to millers. The taskforce, which has two representatives from each of the operating areas of the GTA, has been grouped into two, comprising the northern and southern sector zones and is charged to keep an eagle's eyes on members of the Association and other stakeholders in the forestry sector to ensure that all timber logs and other forest products were accompanied by proper conveyance certificates, waybills and also from approved forest sources.

The southern sector zone consists of Western, Central and Volta regions, while the northern sector has Brong Ahafo, Ashanti and Eastern regions.

Members of the taskforce have the right to arrest and confiscate illegal logs and visit any concession to track logs coming from the area if they find conveyance certificates doubtful. Speaking at the inauguration of the taskforce in Kumasi on Wednesday, Mr Alexander Kingsford Dadzie, National Vice President of GTA, said the taskforce was to complement the efforts of the Forestry Commission to ensure sanity in the sector. He said a time had come for members to demonstrate their resolve to protect the forest reserves, assist government to get the needed revenue from the forestry sector for development and also ensure that timber millers did not dictate prices of logs as a result of illegal logs they got.

Mr Dadzie cautioned members of the taskforce against conniving with any saw-miller to carry illegal logs and warned that any member caught in corrupt practices would be dismissed and prosecuted. He advised them not to abuse the power vested in them but to demonstrate integrity in their duties to protect the forest and report any forestry official that might try to thwart their work. Mr Dadzie said the setting up of the taskforce was also to prepare members of the Association towards the coming into force of the Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) that would soon be signed between Ghana and members of the European Union and appealed to the Forestry Commission, security agencies and all stakeholders to support the taskforce to discharge its duties effectively.

Mr Boateng Poku, President of GTA, said members of the taskforce had a huge challenge and urged them to exhibit integrity and credibility and work diligently to protect the image of the Association. Nana Adu-Tutu Kwarteng, Second Vice President of GTA, said a lot of timber logs came into the market without conveyance permits and waybills and said the taskforce would seek to stop all these activities. 28 Nov. 07