Forest-fringe communities demand transparency in SRA Fund Management
Story by Prince Owusu Senior Forest-fringe communities are calling for greater transparency and accountability in the management and distribution of funds under Social Responsibility Agreements (SRAs). They say they are often not given adequate information on the amounts paid by timber contractors. The call was made at a training workshop organised by Civic Response Ghana […]
Forest communities near logging areas are demanding more transparency and accountability in Social Responsibility Agreement (SRA) fund management. They claim they are not given sufficient information about payments from timber contractors. This call for greater transparency was made during a training workshop held in Accra by Civic Response Ghana.
The workshop aimed to educate SRA committees in forest fringe communities about their rights and responsibilities. Albert Katako, Head of Programmes at Civic Response Ghana, reported positive changes in timber companies' compliance since the training program started in 2017. He credited the Forestry Commission for enforcing SRA payments before logging begins, thus making it a critical part of forest sector law.
Katako also highlighted the importance of monitoring compliance with new developments and the punishment of both violators and forestry commission staff who may be involved in illegal activities. Hayford Dodoo, a Jomoro community representative, identified the lack of transparency in SRA fund management and distribution as a major challenge.
He expressed frustration over not knowing whether the stated amounts on the cheques are accurate and being unable to access statements from the bank due to not being listed as a beneficiary to the SRA central committee. The SRA funds, intended to benefit communities within a five-kilometre radius of logging areas, are often insufficient and largely used for community development projects.
Civic Response Ghana is running a series of training sessions to help forest-fringe communities understand and assert their rights, as well as the responsibilities of stakeholders in the forestry sector. The training, held in batches, aims to empower nearly one thousand SRA committee members from 150 communities across Ghana with the knowledge and skills to identify rights violations, seek redress, and demand compliance from timber companies.
During the training, community monitors are also being equipped with mobile phone documentation tools to report suspected illegal activities in forest areas. The program, which began in July, is expected to conclude in October this year.
Written by urgent.news from GBC Ghana's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
