Transporting timber at night in Ghana is illegal

Timber contractors, firms and sawn millers have been warned not to transport timber at night.

M r. Gustav Adu, Director of the Kumasi Wood Cluster (KWC), who gave the warning, said the ban on conveyance of timber after 1800 hours was still in force and culprits would be prosecuted. He was speaking at a training programme on the European Union (EU) diligence requirements and Forestry Laws and Enforcement for 15 artisanal millers in the Brong-Ahafo Region.

It was organized by Friends of the Earth-Ghana (FOE-Ghana), an environmental Non-Governmental Organisation, in collaboration with the National Working Group on Forest Certification with funding from the EU. Mr. Adu said, according to the forestry law, it was an offence to convey timber or lumber from the forest or any source after 1800 hours, warning that, such products would be confiscated when apprehended.

He said many timber firms and artisanal millers operated contrary to the forestry laws, a situation which had led to indiscriminate and unauthorized felling of timber, depleting the countries forest resources.

Mr. Nehemiah Tettey Odjer-Bio, Assistant Programme Coordinator of FOE-Ghana explained that the training programme forms part of the NGOs three year project to help improve forest governance in four regions in the country. He said the EU is funding the project, which is being implemented in 200 forest fringe communities in Ashanti, Brong-Ahafo, Western and Eastern regions.

Mr. Odjer-Bio entreated the participants to strictly adhere to laid down regulations governing the timber industry.

First published: ghananewsagency.org