Kumasi, Nov. 1, GNA - The Forestry Commission is

collaborating with Tropenbos International, a forest development

organization, to develop policy recommendations to enhance the

production and trade of legal timber on the domestic market. Mr Alhassan Attah, Executive Director of the Timber Industry

Development Division of the Commission, said when completed,

the recommendations would be submitted to the Ministry of Lands

and Natural Resources for implementation. He indicated that the overall objective of the recommendations

was informed by the Commission's commitment to create an

enabling environment for an efficient wood-based industry, by

ensuring that, more legal timber was put on the domestic market,

whiles discouraging the trade in illegal timber. Mr Attah was speaking at the first anniversary celebration of

the Sokoban Wood Village in Kumasi. It was under the theme "Sustaining the Forest through Strategic

Management". The Executive Director described the theme as appropriate

since it fell within the Forest Sector Development and Strategic

Plan, which aims at ensuring an efficient wood-based industry with

emphasis on tertiary processing and value addition. He said in the coming months the Wood Industries Training

Centre will work with the leadership of the Village to develop

training programmes, to meet the specific needs of small-scale

carpenters, in particular. Mr Attah urged the carpenters to take advantage of all skills

upgrading and training activities that would be provided at the

Centre to help add value to their products. Mr Samuel Sarpong, Kumasi Metropolitan Chief Executive

(MCE), said as managers of the wood enclave, his outfit would

continue to ensure good management for the benefit of the

workers. Togbe Mawufeame Fugah, President of the Anloga Carpenters

Union, thanked the French Government for its immense support

during the re-location of the carpenters to the village, saying the

Wood Village Consult, an advocacy organization, would continue

to explore avenues to enhance the industry. He said the Consult had planned a number of training activities

to inject efficiency in their work and appealed to the Kumasi

Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) to be supportive in their efforts, to

train members in snail and grass-cutter rearing and also plant trees

along water bodies in the area. Togbe Fugah said he was of the conviction that the KMA

would support them by providing more sheds and operation

space, to help compel those left at the Anloga old site to the

Village.