Nana Mamfe Otuabeng III, Chief of Akwamu Gyakiti, has pledged his support and that of the people for the Kete-Krachi Timber Recovery Limited (KKTR), the company given concession to harvest trees from the Volta Lake.
He said operations of the company were unique, and that the people of Gyakiti were proud to host such an enterprise, which would bring economic and social benefits to the community and the nation at large.
Nana Mamfe Otuabeng III made the assertion at the signing of a social responsibility agreement between the company, the Gyakiti Traditional Authority, the Forestry Commission and the Timber Development Authority, at the chief’s palace.
He expressed his appreciation to the management and staff of the KKTR for honoring its statutory obligations, and hoped that the company will offer employment to the youth.
The District Deputy Forestry Manager for Somanya, Mr Agyapong Nyantakyi, who supervised the signing ceremony, explained that the a social responsibility is a statutory obligation in line with the Timber Resource Management Licensing Regulations, (Legislative Instrument 2254), Regulation 41, as contained in the 3rd Schedule of the Constitution of Ghana demanding from firms harvesting timber from any part of the country to pay five percent stamping fees to the traditional owners of such land.
Nayon Bilijo, an Advisor of KKTR, said the company which was originally owned by foreign investors, known as the Clarke Sustainable Resources Development (CSRD), was now wholly Ghanaian-owned and that it was the first of its kind in Africa.
He said KKTR/CSRD in addition to removing the dead timber from under the Volta Lake and processing it for export was also engaged in removing the trees to provide safe transportation and navigation on the lake.
Nayon Bilijo said KKTR, with funding from the GCB Bank, was last year inaugurated by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo-Addo as One District One Factory for the Asuogyaman District, and it has employed a number of people from its area of operation.
The signing of the agreement was witnessed by Mrs Grace Arthur of the Asuogyaman District Assembly and Madam Ophelia Boakye Mensah, a Forest Ranger of the Forestry Commission, Asuogyaman and Mr Ali Marnah, Operations Manager of KKTR.
