GTMO demands arrests after attack on Forestry Commission checkpoint

…warns illegal timber trade is becoming a national security threat

By Kizito CUDJOE

The Ghana Timber Millers Organisation (GTMO) has called for arrest and prosecution of those responsible for a violent attack on a Forestry Commission timber monitoring checkpoint in Bono East Region, warning that the incident highlights a growing threat posed by illegal timber trafficking and forest crime in the country’s major timber-producing areas.

In a statement condemning the June 9 vandalism of the Babatokuma checkpoint, GTMO said the destruction of state property and injuries inflicted on Forestry Commission personnel amount to a direct assault on efforts to curb illegal logging and timber smuggling.

The industry body said stricter monitoring measures along key timber transport routes have become necessary as illegally harvested timber increasingly moves from the Bono, Ahafo and Western Regions to markets in the Sahel, undermining legitimate businesses, accelerating forest loss and threatening export earnings.

Chief Executive Officer of GTMO Dr. Kwame Asamoah Adam, who signed the statement on behalf of the organisation’s president, described the attack as a criminal act that must not go unpunished.

“The reasons for the facility’s destruction and injury caused to staff constitute a criminal offence, and the perpetrators must be fished out, arrested and put before the court,” he said.

He said the attackers’ actions represent “a blatant disregard for the laws of this country under democratic governance”” noting that the timber industry operates within a clearly defined legal and regulatory framework which all operators are required to follow.

“There are specified channels and laid-out procedures for seeking redress to all grievances in the timber trade,” he said. “The timber sector does not operate in isolation where jungle laws are permitted.”

GTMO noted that the Forestry Commission has over the years worked closely with timber trade associations to reduce illegal logging and unlawful timber trading activities, including through the expansion of timber tracking and monitoring systems.

Under the system, timber and wood-product transporters are required to present documentation at designated checkpoints to verify the source of raw materials and demonstrate compliance with industry regulations.

The organisation said legal operators have received extensive training on compliance requirements and documentation procedures to facilitate the smooth movement of timber products to destination markets.

While acknowledging that delays at checkpoints can occur because of bureaucratic and logistical challenges, GTMO said such frustrations could never justify violence against public officials or the destruction of state assets.

“Without holding brief for the perpetrators, it is a fact that most times vehicles spend long hours at the checkpoints waiting for clearance,” the statement said. “However, situations like this can never warrant the destruction of state property and causing injury to innocent workers.”

GTMO said it had also raised concerns when the expanded timber monitoring programme was introduced but chose to engage through dialogue and established industry channels.

“No serious business operator who wants to run a successful and sustainable business will ever think of seeking redress in the manner that was embarked upon at Babatokuma,” the organisation said.

The group reiterated its support for the Forestry Commission’s efforts to tackle illegal timber exploitation, describing the trade as one of the biggest threats facing Ghana’s forests.

According to GTMO, the country’s timber regulatory framework is widely regarded as one of the strongest in the tropical world.

However, it noted that illegal operators have increasingly undermined the system by entering production forests, harvesting timber unlawfully and feeding unregistered mills that channel illegal lumber into the market.

The organisation said this lucrative, illicit trade continues to fuel forest destruction at an alarming pace, with large areas of forest in Bono, Ahafo and Western Regions coming under increasing pressure.

It said illegally sourced lumber from these areas is frequently transported through the Techiman-Tamale-Bolgatanga-Paga corridor into neighbouring Sahelian countries, prompting the Forestry Commission to intensify enforcement measures along the route.

GTMO called on forest-owning communities, the National House of Chiefs, environmental organisations, the Ministries of Trade and Industry and Interior, as well as consumers of timber products, to support efforts in combatting illegal timber exploitation and trade.

“This development has become a national security issue that must be tackled with all seriousness,” the statement said.

It warned that failure to curb illegal logging and timber trafficking could eventually drive legitimate timber businesses out of operation, resulting in significant job losses and reduced foreign exchange earnings for the country.

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