Deal With Forest Reserve And Land Encroachers - Lands Minister To Sector Agencies

The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has also tasked officials of the three main agencies under the Ministry in the Northern Region to ensure an end to encroachment on forest reserves and public lands in the region. He said this during a meeting with the sector officials on October 4 at the Northern

Regional Coordinating Council. Addressing the staff who were mainly from the Office of Administrator of the Stool Lands, the Forestry, the Lands and also Minerals Commissions, the Minister appealed to them to work together with the Regional Minister and Coordinating Council to bring an end to this menace which was at its

preliminary stage before it escalates into a national problem like that of the small-scale illegal mining. The matter to do with the encroachment of forest reserves in Tamale is a matter we have to deal with and deal with forcefully. We are told, and it’s very evident that the forest reserves in the Tamale Metropolis are being

encroached upon, we cannot permit that, he added. The Minister further stated that very soon the Regional Security Council is going to map out strategies to clear off all the encroachers along the forest reserve to ensure the sustainability of Tamale. Jinapor said the operations of the Northern Regional agencies is very

crucial for the corporate win of the entire Northern sector. He explained that as the parent region out of which the three new regions were birthed, their functions and operations can and will have great implications on the output of work. Further to that, Tamale, he said, is turning into the centre of commerce

for North Africa and as a result, there is also a need to preserve the public lands of Tamale and the Northern Region at large. He also assured them of interventions underway to ensure the welfare issues of the agencies are ironed out. As part of these interventions, Minister disclosed that in the coming month, government will

launch the Shea Plantation Scheme, which will ensure also the injection of some huge capital into the forestry sector. On behalf of President Akufo Addo, the Minister expressed his gratitude to the officials for the hard work and assured them of his endless support. He assured them that you can count on me as your Minister. I will back you throughout all of this.