The acting Chief Executive Officer of the Forestry Commission, Dr. Hugh C.A. Brown, is facing significant internal backlash amid allegations of political witch-hunting and administrative overreach. This comes after he reportedly personally signed transfer letters for two staff members suspected of leaking information that exposed controversial timber concessions.
The internal turmoil follows a highly disputed allocation of 107 forest compartments to Supremo Woods, a company reportedly owned by Francis Donkoh, a known operative of the New Patriotic Party (NPP). This decision was later reversed by the sector Minister, Hon. Armah-Kofi Buah, whom sources indicate Dr. Brown holds “no regard for.”
Following the Minister’s intervention, Dr. Brown allegedly initiated an internal purge. Two officers at the Commission’s registry were reportedly targeted, suspected of having affiliations with the National Democratic Congress (NDC). Both individuals were hastily transferred—one to the Amasaman office and the other to a regional office—without any formal disciplinary process or consultation with the Corporate Human Resource Directorate or Divisional HR.
Sources within the Commission confirmed that Dr. Brown personally issued these transfer directives, bypassing established administrative structures. Copies of the transfer letters, seen by this reporter, indicate they were drafted and dispatched by the CEO himself.
These latest developments have deepened unease within the Forestry Commission. Staff members are increasingly concerned about job security, political targeting, and a lack of due process under Dr. Brown’s leadership.
There are now growing calls for the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources to launch an investigation into what some describe as “institutional intimidation” and to address what appears to be a pattern of anti-NDC motivated decision-making within the Commission.