By Dan Adu
The Forest Services Division ( FSD ) of the Forestry Commission (FC), Ghana, held a two-day Management Retreat in Kumasi, Ashanti Region, from 29th to 30th January 2026, to take stock of the performance of the Division in the year 2025 and outline its collective agenda for 2026, make projections and set objectives, policy and targets for the current year.
This strategic and high-level meeting where leadership reviews the previous years performance and outlook for 2026, witnessed all Regional and District Managers Nationwide.
The retreat is essentially, a dedicated, concentrated session for Senior officials to pivot from daily operations to long-term, Strategic decision-making towards achieving set targets.
In his remarks, the Chief Executive of the Forestry Commission (FC), Dr. Hugh Brown, congratulated the management team for their achievements in the past year and expressed confidence in further improvements in productivity in 2026.
He was excited about this successes in recent times, despite the Divisions limited resources, and further cited the need for legal backing whilst protecting Ghana’s Forest Estate.
Recent developments recorded three (3) Executive Directors in just a year, from his good self, Dr. Hugh Brown, to Mrs. Lydia Opoku and Dr. Gordon Sarfo-Adu.
It is on record that the Division is 117 years old, established in Jan 1909, after a study in 1908. Against this background, the Chief Executive, urgently call for the transition to a whole Military apparatus.
Reinforcing the Division’s commitment to continuous improvement and collaborative success, Dr. Brown, further echoed, that just two(2) days ago, the FC Board approved a new FC Revised Vision Statement. The highlight embedded in Sustainable management is protection. To Authorities, We as an entity, need to protect the Forest Estate before employing Management tactics.
The current vision of the Commission is therefore to protect, sustainably manage and develop Ghana’s Forests and Wildlife Resources.
The CE further spoke on some of the achievements in relation to combating illegal mining, Tree for life initiative ( T4L ), Issuance of the FLEGT license ( Second Country after Indonesia, Globally), investments in Ecotourism area and was more enthused for that drive for staff to strive for competence, in acquiring more knowledge in their line of duty.
Key on the CE’s submissions were professional integrity, daring nature as a person, interpersonal skills in relation to treatments geared towards subordinates, conceptual skills and the Cardinal areas he wish to accomplish in his tenure of office as the Chief Executive.
Reflected on the challenges faced by the Division in the past year, particularly in combating illegal mining ( Galamsey ) , despite these hurdles, he commended the leadership for their dedication and resilience, which led to significant achievements.
Dr Hugh Brown, bringing his speech to a close, talked briefly on the five (5) pillars his leadership seek to accomplish in his tenure of office as the Chief Executive.
The highlights as follows:
Enhancing Forest Protection and Law enforcement, Scaling up Reforestation and Forest Restoration, Promotion of Ecotourism and Permits for Environmental Services, Biodiversity Conservation, The Urgent need in supporting multi-Stakeholder Collaboration and the Promotion of Technological Innovation.
But more importantly, the need for an Anchor in life to guide our path in this life journey, and concluded by recommending his very Anchor to Management staff in this regard, setting the tone for strategic discussions.
The Ag. Executive Director, Dr. Gordon Kofi Sarfo-Adu expressed optimism for the year 2026 and called for renewed commitment, clarity of purpose and sustainable excellence in the conduct of Forest Protection and Governance.
Highlighting the Division’s core mandate, stated that with renewed determination, FSD is set to intensify its fight against illegal activities and strengthen Forest governance to secure the Nation’s Green Heritage for future generations.
Speaking on notable achievements, Dr. Sarfo-Adu, echoed successes in areas such as Forest Protection and Governance, Revenue Mobilization, Stakeholder engagements, Field monitoring in our Forests Reserves, stronger collaborations with sister agencies and traditional authorities. He recalled several interventions made in 2025 to improve the welfare of the staff of the Division.
We must adopt a more strategic and coordinated approach going forward as a division, he emphasized.
In renewing our collective commitment to professionalism as senior officials, the services of three(3) consultants were employed to render specialised knowledge advice to improve staff capacity.
Helping in this diagnostic work at the retreat were; Prof. Victor Kwame Agyeman, Chairman, Public Services Commission, Ms. Esther Cobbah, Board Member, International Public Relations Association (IPRA) , President, Institute of Public Relations, (IPR) Ghana, and CEO, Stratcomm Africa, and Major General ( Dr.) Emmanuel W. Kotia (Rtd.), Founding Commissioner General, Ghana Boundary Commission.
The Division’s two(2) Directors, Mrs Valerie Fumey-Nassah, and Mr Yaw Kwakye, took turns in presenting their papers through their subordinates, Dr. Ben Torgbor, Mr Kwame Agyei and Lawyer Abdallah Seidu Ali, respectively.
There were solidarity statements from Ag. Director, FCTC, Lawyer Richard Niinnoni, Director, RMSC, Mr. Yaw Atuahene-Nyarko.
Ag. HR Director, Dr. Abdul-Nasir Abubakar and Director, Audit, Rev. Carl Ahadzi Mensah, spoke on issues bothering on succession plans and Compliance with Fiduciary standards respectively.
The retreat provided platform for an in-depth consideration of the agenda of the Division for the year 2026, and allowing participants proffer strategies for achieving them within the stipulated time frame.
At the end of the second day, the Ag. Executive Director, Dr. Gordon Sarfo-Adu, assured of the leadership’s commitment to coherence to facilitate accountability and transparency and urging them to work harder going forward.
This annual gathering not only provided a platform for reflection but also fostered a forward-thinking approach to achieving sustainable growth in 2026.
The two-day retreat concluded with a renewed sense of purpose and shared resolve to enhance collaboration in delivering the Division’s Mandate in 2026.
