Deputy Chief Executive of the Forestry Commission, Elikem Kotoko, has called for more resources and stronger support for the Commission to effectively contribute to the fight against illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.

Speaking on Joy Prime’s Prime Insight on Saturday, September 13, he expressed concern that the Commission’s staff, particularly forest rangers, are too few on the ground to provide the necessary protection for forest reserves.

“Let me also tell you one thing. I even feel that the Forestry Commission also needs to be more resourced because we do not have many of our staff as our forest rangers and all that on the field to constantly guard against that,” he said.

Mr Kotoko compared Ghana’s situation to neighbouring countries, where he said forestry officials are given military backing to confront illegal activities in protected areas.

“When you go to even our neighbouring countries, staff of their Forestry Commission are military detachment. It is only in Ghana that we are civilians and so you are probably holding a hunting gun while the gentleman on the other side is wielding a very sophisticated weapon,” he explained.

He said there is a need for serious reforms, including the possibility of assigning military personnel to the Commission in order to make its work more effective.

“I would even wish in my lifetime that we should begin to find a way to make serious amendments that will even include making sure that the Forestry Commission will be a deployment from the military,” Mr Kotoko added.