This was revealed at the signing of a service agreement between the Forestry Commission and the Youth Employment Agency (YEA), in which the YEA would serve as the recruitment agency for the Commission.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Forestry Commission, Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, signed the service agreement on behalf of his outfit, while the YEA’s CEO, Justin Kodua, also endorsed the document.

The signing, which took place at the headquarters of the Forestry Commission in Accra, had staff of both the Forestry Commission and the YEA in attendance.

Per the agreement, the YEA will commit about 44 million cedis, whilst the Forestry Commission also commits 60 million cedis towards the remuneration of the beneficiaries.

The employment is expected to span a period of two years, and will come with a monthly remuneration of Ghc400.

Speaking to Citi News, Forestry Commission CEO, Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, said ‘They are going to be engaged in farming and the forest areas that we have earmarked on [populace management], others are going to be in reforestation and so and so forth. We are employing the youth; the essence is the youth because the job involves people who are a little bit stronger which is why the YEA is partnering us. After the two years, we are going to ensure that they have permanent jobs.”

“The graduates would be used for monitoring and [other tasks], but majority of those who are going to be employed would be employed on the farms. So we are going to give hope to the people who otherwise do not have certificates that people are asking them to bring here and there.  When they are employed, we will give them orientation,” he added.

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By: Michael Ogbodu/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The Bekwai Municipal Office of the Forestry Commission, arrested the two for illegally mining in the Apramprama Forest Reserve.

[contextly_sidebar id=”XQcWQgQtk2ay22kP7RBdgRp3jiC7MHHR”]The rapid response team of the Commission which had information about their activities, rushed to the scene and met the two persons with others washing gold in the forest at Jacobu, in the Amansie Central District.

The team managed to arrest the two persons, whilst the others escaped.

The team also noticed that the pit in which the miners were carrying out their activities, had a circumference measurement of about two feet and 50 feet deep.

The miners, who were handed to the police, later appeared before the Bekwai Circuit Court.

The Bekwai Municipal Manager of the Forestry Commission, George Agbenoshie, in an interview with Citi News, called on the general public to assist his outfit to clamp down on such activities.

“We want our major stakeholders to come on board to assist us, especially our major stakeholders so that we protect that part of the forest reserve. We want the judiciary to apply stiffer punishments that serves as a deterrent such that people will not continue to indulge in such practices.”

Fight against illegal mining ongoing

2017 will go down as the year with the most significant action against the galamsey menace from the government, the media and the public alike.

The government scaled up law enforcement efforts by deploying a task-force to three regions with relatively high illegal mining activity and this has resulted in hundreds of arrests.

It has also put in place an action plan called the Multilateral Mining Integrated Project (MMIP) to outline measures to reclaim polluted natural bodies and re-engage illegal miners in alternative livelihood projects, among other things.

The Chief Justice also designated 14 courts that will be dedicated to handling mining offenses committed under the Minerals and Mining Act, (Act 703) and (Amendment) Act 2015 (Act 900).

There is also currently a ban on all forms of small-scale mining in a bid to protect the heavily degraded forests and water bodies. The ban, which has been running for six months, has been extended by three months and is expected to end in January 2018.

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By: Hafiz Tijani/citifmonine.com/Ghana

The post 2 jailed 5 months for galamsey, others on the run appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

This is in response to complaints by members of a committee, recently inaugurated to check the rising degradation of the reserve.

Nana Poku Bosompim, Nkawie District Manager of the Forest Service Division (FSD) of the Commission, confirmed this to journalists and said the accusation of complicity was not being taken lightly.

It has therefore set its investigative machinery in motion to ascertain the veracity or otherwise of the allegation.

The committee had reported of massive illegal timber logging in the Nyame Bekyere portion of the reserve and expressed strong suspicion that some workers of the Commission might be involved in the development.

Meanwhile, the FSD had moved to impound two timber trucks, a tractor and sawmill equipment belonging to the illegal operators.

Also seized were 140 logs hauled from the reserve to some unregistered sawmills at Bayerebon Number-Five, Subiri and Bibiani.

Nana Bosompim, repeated the call to the forest fringe communities to be bold and report all illegal timber activities in the reserves to the appropriate authorities for action.

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Source: GNA

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