Three Bills before Parliament

Forest Protection and Plantation Dev. Bills
Government is to set clear limits on the maximum duration and size of area for which timber rights could be granted as exists in respect of mineral rights.

The Minister for Lands and Forestry, Prof. Kassim Kasanga, stated this in a memorandum on amendments to a number of Bills to be laid before Parliament.

The amendments are on the Forest Protection, Forest Plantation Development Fund and Timber Resources Management Bills, which were presented for their first readings in Parliament.

Prof. Kasanga said the Bill on Timber resources management amendment also seeks to transfer the handling and processing of applications for forestry and wildlife investments from the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre to the Forestry Commission.

The Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Papa Owusu-Ankomah, on behalf of the Minister, Prof. Kasanga, laid the Bills. The bills have however been referred to the Committee on Lands and Forestry which has been charged to study it and present a report to the House as soon as possible.

The Forest Protection (Amendment) Act is to amend the Forest Protection Decree 1974 (NRCD 243) to provide for higher penalties for offences and to provide for related purposes.

The Forest Plantation Development Fund (Amendment) Act, 2002 seeks to amend the 2000 (Act 583) to enable plantation growers, both in the public and private sectors, to participate in forest plantation and to provide for related matters.

The Timber Resources Management (Amendment) Act 2002 is to amend the Act of 1997 (Act 547) to exclude from its application, land with private plantation, to provide for the maximum duration and maximum limit of area of timber rights, to provide for incentives and benefits applicable to investors in forestry and wildlife.

Prof. Kasanga said in the course of the implementation of Act 547, a number of inadequacies have come to the fore, which require correction. These include the need for the act to indicate that private plantation developers do not need tom obtain timber rights before harvesting trees planted for commercial purposes.

The Minister said it was the view of the government that once a private investor satisfies all contractual requirements of the owner of the land and fulfils other relevant statutory obligations to the state, he should be free to harvest the timber grown without obtaining timber rights.

The Forest Protection Bill seeks to amend the Forest Protection Decree 1974, (NRCD 243) as amended by Law 1986 (PNDCL 142) to revise upwards the fines for breaches of offences in the Decree.

The decree was put in place for the purpose of strengthening the mode of exploitation of forest resource, particularly timber, in a sustainable manner and accordingly the Decree criminalises acts that amount to causing damage in forest reserves.

It also provides penalties in terms of fines and imprisonment for breaches, but the fines, in terms of the value of the cedis, are found to be rather low and the purpose of the Bill is to revise the fines upwards, however the level of imprisonment remains unaltered, he added.

The Forest Plantation Development Fund seeks to enable small-scale and public sector institutions benefit from the fund set up under the Act, since under the existing arrangements, beneficiaries of the Fund have only been limited to private sector commercial plantation developers.

Prof. Kasanga explained that the Fund was set up to enable government to implement a forest plantation development project that would expand forests in the country and it was expected that the expanded forest plantations would relieve the pressure on existing natural forests and enhance environmental conservation.

At the same time, the programme is to provide employment to alleviate rural poverty and stimulate income-generating opportunities for timber growers and processors and generally enhance the national economy.

The change is also to allow a broader representation of bodies, which have interest in the development of forest plantations and the representative of the Ministry of Finance has been removed to make room for two representatives from institutions, organisations, companies or bodies involved in the plantation industry.

....disability bill

Mr Ben C. Eghan, Chief Director of the Ministry of Manpower and Employment, said on Wednesday that the National Council on Disability, which would promote the rights of people with disability, would be placed before Parliament this month.

This would harmonise and co-ordinate the implementation of the National Disability Policy launched in 2000. It is also to ensure that opportunities existed for them to receive education and training for gainful employment and have access to social services.

Opening a nine-month professional training course for rehabilitation workers for the blind and visually impaired persons in West Africa, Mr Eghan said to promote community-based rehabilitation of persons with disabilities the ministry introduced and implemented a community-based rehabilitation programme, which was going on in four regions.

The eight participants are from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, the Gambia and Ghana. Seven out of the eight are being fully sponsored by Sight Savers International while the eighth, one of three from Ghana, is partly sponsored by the Jasiksn District Assembly in the Volta Region.

The course, modular in design, includes medical and low vision rehabilitation, introduction to projects, finance and office management, introduction to the management of rehabilitation programme and psychosocial rehabilitation.