Accra, Dec. 20, GNA - Ms. Esther Obeng Dappah, Minister of Lands, Forestry and Mines on Thursday inaugurated a seven-member committee of the Timber Rights Evaluation Committee to ensure strict compliance with the provisions of the Timber Resources Management Act of 1997. The committee is tasked to evaluate applications for Timber Utilisation Contracts in accordance with qualifications and criteria as provided by regulations made under the Act 547, rank the qualified applicants on merit through a competitive procedure prescribed by regulation under the Act.

She said the committee will also supervise the conduct of competitive biddings, consider all appeals that will be referred to the committee, evaluate all applications for timber felling rights and refer recommendations to the Forestry Commission Board for consideration and onward submission to the sector Minister for approval. The Minister urged the committee to take immediate actions to roll out the procedures that would ensure strict compliance to the law and called the head of the Forestry Commission to make the needed logistics available to the committee to effectively facilitate their work. "In the same vein, I will request that members of the committee discharge their statutory duties with sense of honesty and transparency to restore confidence of our stakeholders and the general public", she added.

This, she said, would ensure that good governance was being practiced in the forestry sector with regards to the granting of timber harvesting rights. Professor Ashie Kotey, Chief Executive of the Forestry Commission and the Chairman of the Committee pledged the Committee's commitment and dedication to work and said members would be fair and objective with compliance of the law. "We will be transparent and improve good governance and work diligently to serve the purpose of the establishment". Other members of the committee are Mr M. O. Owusu Abrebrese of the Forestry Services Division, Mr Joseph Osikwan of the Ministry Lands, Forestry and Mines, Mr J.O. Sarpong of the Lands Commission, Mrs Christie Bobobee of the Office of the Administrator of Stool Lands, Dr Kwame Asamoah Adam of the Ghana Institute of Foresters and Mr Charles Dei-Amoah Manager of the Timber Rights Administration Unit of the Forestry Commission.