A handing over ceremony has been held to transfer the leadership of the Forestry Commission (FC) from Mr. John Allotey, the immediate Chief Executive(CE), to Dr. Hugh Brown, Executive Director of the Forest Services Division (FSD) as the Acting CE of FC.

Dr. Hugh Brown, in his opening statement, recounted being informed of this decision from the Presidency by Mr. Allotey, hence the agenda of the day.

Mr. Allotey in his address, thanked all staff especially those in the frontline, for working to protect the forest and wildlife resources of the country. He considered himself privileged to have had the opportunity to lead the FC, describing the staff as very competent. “The work of the FC is never going to be light”, he said as he encouraged the staff to keep up the good work.

Speaking on his time at FC, Mr. John Allotey expressed his appreciation to his predecessor, the late Mr. Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie(also known as Sir John), the knowledge acquired from him and the achievements made under his tutelage. He further expressed joy for having more women in the Executive Management Team (EMT) during his tenure and admonished that the younger generation staff be mentored to also take up such positions which is critical to the future of the Commission.

Finally, Mr. Allotey mentioned that he has made certain suggestions towards the next administration of FC and described his entire experience with FC as good. He concluded his remarks by saying, “It is not what we achieve that is more important but rather the relationships established”, encouraging staff to continue to work together to achieve the vision and mission of FC.

This was followed by the ceremonial signing of the handing over notes between Mr. Allotey and Dr. Hugh Brown as well as a photo session to culminate the day.