In the assessment of the Ministry of Lands and Forestry (MLF), the Forestry Department (FD) itself and other sector institutions, implementation of improved forest management at the district level cannot be effective in the absence of major institutional reform of FD. This conclusion was also reached by the DFID review of FIMP in mid-1993.

FD suffers from a chronic shortage of operating funds, many of its staff are inadequately or inappropriately trained and are all poorly paid. Consequently, morale, motivation and performance within FD are at low levels. The implications for Ghana's forest resources are clear to see. In the absence of an effective forestry service, current harvesting and utilisation practices will continue to result in unacceptably high levels of waste, significant loss of potential government revenue and increased degradation of forest resources with adverse economic consequences for the nation as a whole.

Conservation and sustainable development of Ghana's forest resources for maintenance of environmental quality and benefit of all segments of society.

A forest service capable of effective and efficient implementation of forest policy established.

• Mechanisms adequately to resource the forest service established.
• Efficient internal management systems introduced.
• Integrated systems for effective implementation of high forest management policies at district level introduced.
• Creation of a forest service.
• Completion and approval of the forest service institutional design.
• Initiation of forest service practical operation.
• Transition of planning branch into an effective forest management support centre.