GIF bemoans personnel shortage as killings of forest guards escalate

The Ghana Institute of Foresters (GIF) has voiced alarm at the dwindling number of frontline staff at the Forestry Commission responsible for safeguarding the nation's forest reserves, wildlife sanctuaries and district offices. This shortage has coincided with a rise in assaults, injuries, intimidation, armed standoffs and the destruction of Forestry Commission assets over the past few years.

In a statement penned by the institute's head, Dr Abukari Nantogmah Attag, GIF highlighted that the country could not continue to mourn fallen officers while the very people tasked with protecting Ghana's forests face constant attacks. The institute is urging President John Dramani Mahama, via the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, to grant the necessary financial green light to allow the Forestry Commission to hire more frontline workers.

GIF emphasized that the Commission cannot hope to effectively safeguard, manage, regulate and develop Ghana's forests, wildlife and other renewable natural resources without a sufficient workforce. The institute stressed that the lack of personnel is placing a heavy burden on existing officers and undermining the Commission's ability to maintain a strong presence in forest reserves.

"An overstretched officer is not merely a human-resource issue; it is a national security vulnerability," the statement warned. GIF argued that recruiting more qualified frontline staff should be viewed as an investment in national security, environmental protection, climate resilience, biodiversity conservation, sustainable livelihoods and the protection of state assets.

The institute concluded by saying that protecting Ghana's forests and wildlife is a shared national duty, urging the country to shift from condemnation to accountability and from endangering frontline officers to equipping and safeguarding them.