Dr. Hugh C.A. Brown, the Acting CEO of the Forestry Commission has come under heavy internal criticisms from Pro-NDC elements in the commission for his alleged handling of the affairs of the Commission.
According to insiders with knowledge about happenings in the Commission, Dr. Brown has reportedly said he is a “non-partisan professional” and not in office to do any party’s bidding.
This comes amid mounting controversies surrounding the Commission’s operations and the reported sidelining of officials deemed sympathetic to the NDC and who had been victimized for the past 8years under the successive NPP CEOs, one of whom Dr. Brown deputized.
The Acting CEO who was first appointed by President Akufo-Addo in 2022 as a deputy CEO was elevated to the main CEO by President John Mahama under circumstances NDC insiders say was “very strange and shocking”.
Some stakeholders and party apparatchiks remain doubtful about the Commission’s direction under Dr. Brown.
The forestry sector, critical to Ghana’s economy and environmental sustainability, faces renewed scrutiny under the leadership of Dr. Brown as allegations of questionable permits and decisions surface.
Sources told MyNewsGh.com the CEO has declared he is not in office to “please anybody” and that he got his appointment by merit.
Checks show Brown, a forester with a reportedly 30 years of experience in forest management and a Ph.D. from the University of Helsinki in Sustainable Use of Renewable Natural Resources, assumed the role with expectations of addressing longstanding issues like illegal logging and mining.
However, recent reports have raised concerns about the Commission’s activities.
Earlier, documents cited by MyNewsGh alleged that Brown authorized forest entry permits for gold mining in protected forest reserves, with some permits, issued to companies like FJ Minerals Limited and Amby Limited, reportedly bearing his signature and dated March 2024 before his official tenure as Acting CEO.
The Forestry Commission has failed to address this.
Environmental groups have expressed unease over the permitting process, pointing to the ongoing threat of illegal mining and logging to Ghana’s forest reserves.
