On March 21, 2023, Rights and Advocacy Initiatives Network (RAIN) organized a district forum at the premises of the Church of Pentecost, Nyinahin Central to celebrate this year’s International Day of Forest. Traditional authorities, industry players, farmers, technocrats and other stakeholders were invited to join celebrate this day and share ideas on how to protect the forest.

Addressing the stakeholders on the theme, ‘Fostering Partnership to Safeguard our Forest’, Mrs. Doreen Asumang-Yeboah, the director of RAIN stated that, the forest resource is being degraded as a result of illegal activities such as farming, mining and logging. This has affected the function of forests to provide direct and indirect services including food, water and medicines for the health needs of people.

She noted in her terse but potent welcome address that, the livelihood and health of forest dependent communities and the nation at large is under serious threat and appreciably at unbearable rate and all relevant stakeholders must act with the speed of light to ameliorate and also to salvage the situation.

Benard Amanoh, the district officer of CHED bemoaned the nature and the rate at which farmers are leasing their cocoa farms to miners for destruction of the land to mine for gold. He stated with no fear of equivocation that, the backbone of the country (Cocoa Farming) is facing the menace of illegal mining, which he noted is affecting production and output. He added that, no amount of bullet payments from miners can substitute the yearly seasonal payment from cocoa production. Furthermore, the amount used by the state to purchase fertilizers and other farm inputs are very costly; all these he blamed it on illegal logging and mining in cocoa farms.

The representative from the Ghana National Fire Service, Simon Bondziedu, ADO II, took turn and explained what cause bush fires. He explained that, about 90 percent of bush fires are caused by the activities of farmers who cook in their farms, palm wine tappers and hunters. He advised the gathering, most of whom were farmers to desist from such dangerous adventures to safeguard the forest and their livelihoods.

Mr. Chrisantus Nifaasoyir, the district manager of Forestry Commission was of the view that, his outfit is doing its best to curtail the illegal activities in his sector. He opined that, his office has arrested and prosecuted many recalcitrant offenders whilst others are also on trial for invading some forest reserves without express authority from his office. He added that, anybody should report to his office of any illegal activities within the forest. His calls were echoed by the mineral commission who were also present.

Nana Nimo Akowuah, the representative from the Nyinahin traditional council commended RAIN-Ghana and its partners Client-Earth for this perpetual novelty. He added that, all and sundry are trying their best to halt all illegal activities, but the actors and players also find their way out. He promised to table the issue at their council meeting for thorough deliberations and brainstorming to make a headway on the issue.

The elated farmers thanked RAIN for their intervention and asked them to use their influence to stop a mining activity at Okyerekrom which is destroying the Nobe River, their only source of drinking water and its aquatic creatures.