The illegal lumber, which were sourced from the Goamu and Ntotroso areas, according to Anthony Adjei, may be distributed for use by uncompleted educational facilities and self-help projects in the district.

Anthony Agyei, who spoke to Citi News after effecting the arrest, bemoaned the activities of illegal loggers, saying they were fast depleting the forest and vegetative cover of the Goamu and Ntotroso areas of the district.

He thus pledged to institute measures to protect the area’s forest reserves to ensure the President’s vision of protecting the country’s vegetative cover is realized.

Mr. Agyei said due to the bad roads and inefficient communication service in the remote areas of the district, the illegal loggers had resorted to engaging in their illegal act at night, a situation he lamented was making it difficult to arrest them.

The District Commander of Police, DSP Teddy Damptey Brown, warned that his outfit will prosecute any individual or group of persons who fell trees in the forest without authorization from the Forestry Commission.

He said the arrest was based on a tip off, and therefore appealed to residents of affected areas to collaborate with police by providing them with useful information.

The Assembly member for the Jericho electoral area who doubles as the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Constituency Chairman for the Asutifi North, and facilitated the arrest, commended community members for providing the information leading to the arrest.

He said illegal lumbering was greatly depleting forest reserves in the Goamu area, and pledged not to sit unconcerned for some greedy individuals to put the lives of residents of the area in danger.

Illegal lumbering has assumed an alarming level in the region’s forest reserves lately, especially in the Kintampo North, Asutifi North, Tano North and South, and Tain districts.

The practice, coupled with illegal mining in the area, is greatly destroying farmlands and polluting water bodies.

Early this week, a galamsey pit in the area caved in, leaving one dead, with several others believed to have been trapped.

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By: Mashoud Kombat/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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A lump sum payment will be made while part of the compensation will be put into equity for perpetual use of the La people, Haruna Iddrisu, Minister of Trade and Industry announced on Friday when he inaugurated a nine-member board of the Ghana Trade Fair Company Limited.

The Minister expressed regret that due compensation had not been paid on the land all these years and gave the assurance that “this time the right thing will be done to ensure peaceful coexistence with the people.”

Mr Iddrisu led the board to swear the official oath and the oath of secrecy to usher the members into office.

The board is made up of its Chairperson, Hannah Brenda Anewenah Amoateng, a former Vice Chairperson of J P Morgan in USA, Nii Kpobi Tetteh Tsuru, La Mantse, Benita Sena Okity-Duah and Rosalind A. Kudoadzi.

The rest are, Comfort A. Adjei, Annie Letsu-Tetteh, Habiba A. Tanko, Joshua H. Akamba and Ebenezer Okpoti Koney.

The Trade Minister charged the Board to rise up to the occasion and address the challenges currently confronting the Trade Fair centre, which is not helping in its development.

He said their first task should be the initiation of a policy that would re-establish the Centre either under a public-private partnership or a government to government partnership; and turn the Centre into an international trade convention centre, with a shopping mall, a hotel facility, a recreation centre and a real estate as well as an exhibition centre.

“This is what his Excellency President John Mahama wishes the Centre to be,” Mr Iddrisu stated.

He noted that different investors from Paris, Brazil, and Dubai have expressed interest to partner Ghana to develop the Centre and urged the new Board, as a matter of urgency, assess these investors and select the best for the partnership.

He also tasked the Board to ensure that all issues concerning payment of compensation to various institutions is resolved amicably to avoid any payment of future judgment debts.

“The Board should clean-up any existing financial malfeasance at the Trade Fair Centre”, he emphasized.

Mr. Iddrisu asked the Board to protect the assets of the Trade Fair Centre jealously and ensure that all its debtors pay monies owned to the Centre for renting purposes and others.

He further charged the Board to deepen the promotion of regional trade and exhibitions as the main activities of the centre.

Ms Amoateng on behalf of the members of the Board thanked government for the trust reposed in them and said they will meet as a team and work diligently with the executive management to turn the Centre’s fortunes around.

“I bring to bear my rich experience in investment to work together with other members and ensure that the Centre becomes what we want it to be”, Ms Amoateng said.

Nii Kpobi Tetteh Tsuru, La Mantse said the people of La will this time give their support to the new Board to develop the Centre.

He expressed happiness about the compensation issue and said “this will really make the La people very happy”.

Source: GNA

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