Seized Rosewood To Be Used For National Cathedral Project - Lands Minister

The government will be using confiscated rosewood for the construction of the National Cathedral. The Lands and the Natural Resources Minister, Mr Samuel Abdulai Jinapor also announced that this will begin with the five containers of rosewood impounded at the Tema Port last month and addressing the media also on the latest

development, he said government will be transparent in this process. The government is making the decision to take all rosewood confiscated towards the construction of the National Cathedral, so in addition to the ban on the export, all rosewood confiscated should and will be donated to the National Cathedral. When the National

Cathedral turns out to have enough rosewood, we will take other measures; either to donate it to other public institutions and if we are also minded to have a public auction for domestic use, rest assured it will be done with a sense of integrity, Mr. Abdulai Jinapor said. The government also expects the $100 million dollar inter

denominational cathedral to be ready by March 6, 2024. Under normal circumstance, seized rosewood is also auctioned for use in the country. Rosewood also still remains a restricted wood species under the Appendix II of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. The ban on rosewood

harvesting in Ghana first came into force in 2014. The ban was lifted in the 2017, with the Minister in charge at that time, John Peter Amewu, giving over 20 companies permission to fell the trees. But in the March 2019, the trade was banned again, following alleged corruption and illegal trade of the resource.