The Ghana Institute of Foresters (GIF) has expressed concern over the growing shortage of frontline personnel at the Forestry Commission tasked with protecting the country’s forest reserves, wildlife protected areas and district offices.
The concern follows a series of reported incidents involving attacks, injuries, intimidation, armed confrontations and the destruction of Forestry Commission property in recent years.
In a statement signed by the institute’s President, Dr Abukari Nantogmah Attag, the GIF said the country could not continue to mourn officers while those mandated to protect Ghana’s forests are persistently attacked without adequate measures to address the conditions that expose them to danger.
The GIF is appealing to President John Dramani Mahama, through the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, to provide the necessary financial clearance to enable the Forestry Commission to recruit additional frontline personnel.
“The Commission cannot be expected to effectively protect, manage, regulate and develop Ghana’s forests, wildlife and other renewable natural resources without sufficient human resources,” the statement read.
The institute said the shortage of frontline personnel was placing enormous pressure on existing officers and weakening the Commission’s ability to maintain an effective presence across forest reserves.
“An overstretched officer is not merely a human-resource problem; it is a national security vulnerability,” the statement said.
The GIF said the recruitment of additional qualified frontline personnel should therefore be treated as an investment in national security, environmental protection, climate resilience, biodiversity conservation, sustainable livelihoods and the protection of state assets.
“Protecting Ghana’s forests and wildlife is a collective national responsibility. Ghana must move from condemnation to accountability. Ghana must move from exposing frontline officers to danger to equipping and protecting them,” the statement added.
