Photo:Acting CEO Dr Hugh C. A. Brown
A full-blown power crisis is erupting at the Forestry Commission, where Acting CEO Dr Hugh C. A. Brown stands accused of defying direct orders from his minister, orchestrating a quiet campaign of sabotage, and treating President Mahama’s reset agenda with open disdain.
Dr Brown, a leftover from the Akufo-Addo regime, is reportedly refusing—blatantly and without apology—to implement a major shake-up ordered by the Minister aimed at cleaning house and restoring order to the Commission. Instead, the former head of the Forest Services Division is being accused of acting like a law unto himself: ignoring ministerial authority, sidelining deputies, and allegedly boasting about protection from “powerful people.”
The directive, issued on 29 May through the Board Chair of the Forestry Commission, called for the reassignment of several key directorate heads. It aimed to improve internal coordination, streamline the Commission’s operations, and align the agency more closely with the Mahama administration’s new strategic direction.
But rather than acting on the instructions, Brown is said to have dismissed them outright. According to multiple sources within the Commission, the acting CEO has questioned the minister’s authority and, in some instances, claimed to enjoy protection from the president’s family.
“He says the Minister can’t touch him,” one senior official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Hawk newspaper. “He openly suggests that he draws strength from political allies at the highest level, implying immunity from internal accountability.”
Such claims, if true, reflect a troubling erosion of ministerial oversight in a vital institution tasked with stewarding Ghana’s forests and climate resources. The Forestry Commission has long been dogged by accusations of political interference, weak enforcement, and opacity in its dealings — challenges that the current government has vowed to confront head-on.
Signs of internal drift
Sources also point to disturbing examples of micromanagement and executive overreach. In one incident that has sparked particular disquiet, Dr Brown reportedly downgraded his deputy’s flight ticket to economy class while travelling in business on the same trip — a gesture widely interpreted by staff as a symbolic assertion of hierarchy and disdain.
There are also credible reports of Brown bypassing existing departmental protocols. He is said to have assumed the role of human resources head without formal delegation and issued notices for internal applications without consulting the HR Director — an act viewed as a breach of administrative norms.
The original directive from Minister Buah was not merely bureaucratic housekeeping. It outlined a clear vision for organisational renewal, including the establishment of a Climate Change Implementation Committee and the reassignment of key personnel to strengthen institutional capacity.
“It was a targeted effort to reset the Commission’s direction,” said one ministry official. “It was about clearing bottlenecks and improving the coherence of climate and conservation policy across departments.”
A broader crisis of governance
The impasse at the Forestry Commission is now being interpreted by observers as a microcosm of a larger challenge: the entrenchment of unelected power brokers and the survival of old patronage networks, even within a new administration.
“This isn’t just about one institution,” said Dr Efua Awotwe, a governance expert. “It’s about whether the state has the will and capacity to dislodge actors embedded in the system who feel unaccountable to constitutional authority.”
Civil society actors are also expressing growing frustration. Dr Taabea Demas, a policy analyst and environmental activist, warned that the Mahama administration risks undermining its own reform platform if figures like Dr Brown are allowed to stay in place.
“Ghanaians were promised a reset — not just in rhetoric but in real, structural change,” he said. “When senior appointees openly defy ministers without consequence, it signals that reform is selective, if not hollow.”
A test for presidential resolve
The Presidency has yet to comment publicly on the standoff. But pressure is mounting for President Mahama to intervene and reassert executive coherence over public agencies. Analysts argue that allowing continued defiance of cabinet-level ministers could embolden others and erode public confidence in the administration’s ability to govern effectively.
“This is a test of leadership,” Dr Demas added. “If institutional reset is the goal, then it must begin with holding public officials accountable — especially those who believe they are beyond reproach.”
As of now, Dr Brown remains at post, and the minister’s directive remains unimplemented. What happens next could shape the trajectory of institutional reform in Ghana — and determine whether the promise of a national reset holds any substance beyond the slogans.
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