Chiefs attend workshop on social responsibility agreement

A day’s workshop on social responsibility agreement (SRA) has been organised for traditional rulers within the Juaso Forest Service District at Juaso in the Ashanti Region.

The workshop was to enlighten the chiefs on the new RSA arrangement which will make communities get their share from timber contractors who operated in their domain.

In her welcome address, the District Manager of the Juaso Forest District, Mrs Rebecca Baning Oppan, reminded the chiefs that the SRA was a new arrangement between contractors and land owing communities where the contractor would assist the communities and the inhabitants with amenities, services and benefits.

She reminded the chiefs that the RSA was different from royalties which were solely paid to paramount chiefs, adding however that paramount chiefs were not entitled to the SRA benefits.

In a presentation, the Assistant Manager of Resource Management Support Centre  (RMSC) of the Forestry Commission, Mr Frank Owusu, said the country's rich forests and timber resources were being degraded through over-hunting, harvesting and wildfires.

He stressed the need to ensure that all segments of society benefited from the sustainable management of the nation's forests and wildlife resources.

The District Chief Executive for Asante Akyem South, Mr De-graft Forkuo, urged the chiefs to take advantage of the new arrangement and comply with its directives.

He ,however, urged them to avoid unnecessary litigation and petty rivalry among themselves to ensure the success of the new arrangements which could contribute to the development efforts of their communities.

Mr Forkuo also asked them to play a neutral role during the forthcoming parliamentary and presidential elections.