The flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Mahama revealed that his next administration will inject over $100 million into Forestry Commission to create jobs for Ghanaians.
He said there are various funds for afforestation available that an NDC government will tap into to create about 100,000 jobs yearly.
In an interview with a television station, Mr. John Mahama said the move forms part of the NDC’s agenda to create over one million jobs within the first four years in office when he wins the December election.
In 2013, a group called ‘Transparency and Accountability Forum’ (TAF) challenged President John Dramani Mahama to come clean on his relationship with the AGAAMS Group of Companies, the mother company of Rlg and Asongtaba.
According to the group, Mahama’s administration allocated a whopping sum of GH¢32 million (¢320billion) for the tree planting project, while the Guinea fowl project cost an additional GH¢15million (¢150billion).
The group said there is little or virtually nothing to show for the GH¢47million (¢470billion) sank into the two projects.
According to details emerging from this project, the John Mahama government through SADA gave GH¢33 million to Asongtaba for the planting of five million trees.
This puts the cost per tree planted at GH¢6.60, cost insiders claim has been inflated by as much as 70%.
It is recalled that on November 27, 2012, the Chief Executive Officer of SADA, Gilbert Seidu Iddi, claimed that it had cultivated 4,200,000 seedlings of a tick, mahogany, cassia, and shea in the five regions of the SADA ecological zone aimed at greening those areas and reducing climate change effects.
The project rather contributed to the depletion of the environment. This is because, the natural vegetation cover had been destroyed to make way for the afforestation project, but the project has failed to yield any positive result.
The Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA), is a Government agency responsible for coordinating a comprehensive development agenda for the savanna ecological zones comprising the three northernmost regions and stretches of Brong Ahafo and Volta, that are contiguous to the Northern region of Ghana.
Its mandate is to assist in the development of agriculture and industry in the region to help lessen the disparity between its development and that found elsewhere in the country.
Savannah Accelerated Development Authority was established by an Act of Parliament; SADA Act 805 on 17 September 2010 with its first Chief Executive Officer appointed in October 2011.
SADA will institute projects, programs, and policies aimed at stimulating growth and addressing the human and social development needs of the target area.
Source: Mybrytfmonline/Kofi Atakora
