On behalf of the Chief Executive of the Forestry Commission, Mr. John Allotey, the Deputy Chief Executive, Mr. Nyadia Sulemana Nelson, led a team to visit a The Speaker of Parliament of Ghana, Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin.
This visit according to Deputy Chief Executive of the Forestry Commission, was in appreciation of his and the entire Parliament’s participation in the 2024 Green Ghana Day planting exercise and also to remind him of pledges he made to support the work of the Commission. Mr. Nyadia then presented a letter of appreciation to The Speaker to commemorate the purpose of the visit.
Addressing the team, the Rt. Hon. Speaker said, “this is not my home, this is our home”, welcoming them to the Parliament House and commended the Sector Ministry and The Commission for implementing deliberate measures to mitigate climate change and tackling deforestation.
The Speaker however expressed his concern on “galamsey” as an area in which the country is not doing well. He stated that small scale mining is a global issue and can be done sustainably as other countries have. “We should be able to preserve what we have before we add on to it”, he said and assured the team of the full support of the institution of Parliament in the fight against illegal mining.
Hon. Bagbin in his speech referred to the pledge he made on Green Ghana Day 2024 to the Forestry Commission, to support their work with a pick-up vehicle and two motorbikes to facilitate their activities. He reiterated on this subject at this visit to have the pledge redeemed this year and mentioned that he has himself identified some sites with his communication team where they intend to implement a “Garden of Eden”, planting fruits and ornamental plants alike as it is depicted in the Bible.
Mr. Nyadia also expressed appreciation to the entire Parliament of Ghana for suspending proceedings of the House to enable all Members of Parliament to visit their constituencies and lead them to participate in GGD 2024.
The team from the Forestry Commission with the Deputy Chief Executive comprised of Mr. Hugh Brown, Executive Director, FSD; Mrs. Joyce Ofori Kwafo; Head, Corporate Affairs and Media Relations Unit and Mr. George Agbenowoshie, Manager, Mining Desk.
