The Forestry Commission has initiated a certificate program in Natural Resources Management, marking a significant milestone in the country's efforts to promote sustainable development and environmental stewardship.

The program is designed to equip professionals with the skills and knowledge to manage natural resources effectively, responding to the growing need for sustainable practices in Ghana's natural resources sector.

The University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR) has entered into an academic collaboration with the Forestry Commission to enroll students in the Certificate in Natural Resources Management course.

The first batch of 67 students – 53 males and 14 females – were officially matriculated at the Forestry Commission Training Center (FCTC) in the Ashanti region.

Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Akwasi Konadu, emphasized the importance of responsible natural resources management in achieving the country's development goals.

"This program is a critical step towards ensuring that our natural resources are managed in a way that benefits both present and future generations," he said.

According to him, the government’s introduction of the Green Ghana project is significant in ensuring that forest reserves that are lost through illegal mining are replenished.

"Government through the reafforestation project introduced green Ghana which currently has done about 42 million planted seedlings with a survival rate of seventy-five percent that is augmenting the forest reserve that we have,” he added.

Mr. Konadu believes the introduction of community mining will help ensure responsible mining and reduce the destruction of forests and water bodies.

"This community mining is to help preserve our forest and water bodies. There are some ecological zones that have been segregated for sustainability efforts which will go a long way to help the country in carbon trade which Ghana has benefited to a tune of five million dollars. We need all Ghanaians to participate in the reafforestation program,” he said.

Director of the Forestry Commission Training Center, Dr. Andy Okrah highlighted the need for a multidisciplinary approach to sustainability challenges and well-equipped professionals in the management of forest resources.

"There is a serious gap in the forestry commission and we needed to train additional professionals to fix these gaps,” he said.

He is confident the 18-month intensive training in the newly inaugurated certificate program will help produce professionals who will help protect the forests from devastation.

"We are hopeful that the 18-month intensive program will be able to train them practically to handle the challenges facing the activities of the commission,” he added.