ENVIRONMENT

Council of State Member calls for re-instatement of Forestry School in Sunyani
A Member of the Council of State, Nana Owusu Nsiah has called for the re-establishment of a Forestry School in the Bono and Ahafo Regions specifically Sunyani to train people on forest and forestry activities.

Date Created : 6/25/2019 4:40:12 AM : Story Author : Stanick Kpodo/Ghanadistricts.com

The move would be a replica of the Agriculture Colleges which train people to become Agric Extension Officers in the country.

The former IGP and Diplomat noted that until the establishment of the University of Energy and Natural Resources, there was a Forestry School which was converted into the current University for inexplicable reasons.

He stressed that the existence of a Forestry School would have been feeding the University with semi-trained personnel for further academic and practical training and also serves as professionally trained forest officers in the protection and management of forests and natural resources to augment the efforts of Forestry Commission.

The former Ambassador to Israel questioned the rationale behind the collapse of the earlier Forestry School in Sunyani and charged the Bono Regional Minister Evelyn Ama Kumi Richardson to work it out for the re-instatement of the school as a legacy during her tenure. Nana asserted that the existence of such school in the region would be much appropriate since the region has one of the largest rich forest zones in the country.



Angered by the trend, the Council of State Member referred to the current Sunyani Technical University as another educational institution that had suffered the same fate and lost its technical base without replacement. It began as a Secondary Technical School and converted into Polytechnic and now Technical University, noting that all the technical schools have gradually lost their basics and glory and warned against the repercussions that would take decades to correct.

The Council of State member and Mawerehene of Berekum Traditional Council who chaired the function was speaking at the launch of the 8th Forestry Week and Greening Ghana Day 2019 in commemoration of International Day of Forests on the theme “Forests and Education: Our Responsibility”, at Nsoatre in the Sunyani West District of the Bono Region. Nsoatre and its environs have been wrought with wanton destruction of the forests due to bush fires and other illegal activities. The grand durbar intended to encourage behavioural and attitudinal change in the people to realize the need to protect our forests.

The United Nations set aside March 21 to raise awareness of the importance of all types of forests and trees outside forests. However, the Forest Commission in collaboration with the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources chose the month of June to mark the day in Ghana because of favorable climatic conditions for tree planting and to also stress the roles trees play on the lives of humanity.

The occasion attracted Ministers and State officials, Forestry officials and experts across the country, traditional and religious leaders, Civil Society Organizations, amongst others.