Ghana news Archives - VPA ALA Facility

Minister for Lands and Natural Resources of Ghana, Mr. Samuel A. Jinapor, and Irchad Razaaly, Ambassador of the European Union to Ghana. Signing of the aide-memoire of the 11th JMRM meeting, 26 September 2023.

Ghana and the EU advance toward FLEGT licensing in their joint effort to combat trade in illegal timber

5 October 2023

The Ghana-EU Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) has reached a major milestone. During the meeting of the implementation body of the Agreement, the Parties took an important step toward issuing FLEGT licences, that will attest to the legality of Ghanaian timber products exported to the EU.

On 26 September 2023, a high-level Ghanaian delegation joined representatives of the European Union in Brussels to hold the 11^th meeting of the Joint Monitoring Review Mechanism (JMRM) of the Ghana-EU VPA on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT). The FLEGT VPA is a bilateral trade agreement aiming at promoting trade in legal timber between both Parties.

This session of the JMRM was the first since May 2019, and the first to be convened outside Ghana. The JMRM includes Ghanaian public authorities in charge of forest administration, private sector and civil society, as well as the European Commission.

Negotiations and discussions were fruitful, leading to the agreement of a Joint Action Plan representing an important step toward readiness for FLEGT licensing. FLEGT licences attest to the legality of Ghana’s timber and will enable Ghana’s timber products to enter the EU market without having to go through due diligence steps. It means a significant facilitation for both exporters and importers, and improves the terms of trade in timber for the EU and Ghana alike.

In 2016, Indonesia became the first country in the world to issue FLEGT licences; now Ghana is advancing rapidly toward the same goal, which will establish it as the first country in Africa and second in the world to issue FLEGT licences.

During the sessions, the Parties also reviewed the status of development of Ghana’s timber legality assurance system (GhLAS). They also took note of the further improvements made by Ghana on the electronic Wood Tracking System to serve now as a decision-making system instead of a simple tracking device.

Furthermore, Ghana has undertaken important legislative reforms in its forestry sector that enhance forest governance and enable the country to meet the terms of the VPA and ensure transparency, generating benefits for communities and clarifying the allocation of all timber rights.

In addition to these advances, Ghana is also addressing illegal logging in its domestic market, as well as regional trade and is rolling out a new system for tracking timber on the domestic market that involves both suppliers and traders, and requires proof of legality through the chain of custody.

Through the VPA, Ghana is controlling illegal timber trade, modernising timber operations and ensuring forestry brings employment in the formal economy and social benefits such as payments to communities through Social Responsibility Agreements. For the EU, the VPA contributes to achieving the goals of the EU’s FLEGT Action Plan which aims to improve forest governance and combat illegal logging.

Forest & John Bitar & Co. Ltd.

Ghana and EU finalise assessment of Ghana Timber Legality Assurance System

12 February 2021

Ghana and the European Union (EU) have finalised an independent assessment of the legality assurance system described in the Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) on FLEGT between Ghana and the EU. The final report was shared with both parties on 31 December 2020, and they are now reviewing the findings and recommendations.

The assessment reviewed all aspects of Ghana’s licensing system to ascertain its fitness for purpose. The finalisation of the assessment is an important step in the VPA process, as it will inform the parties in their decision about Ghana’s readiness to issue FLEGT license.

The assessment concluded that the system was not ready. A major gap identified was the long-standing issue of conversion of extant leases to Timber Utilization Contracts, which requires the political approval of the Parliament to happen. Other gaps identified included the absence, or obsolescence, of forest management plans by the Forestry Commission, and the effective resolution of non-compliances associated with the supply chain.

Consequently, the assessment recommended that Ghana implement corrective actions to address the issues prior to launching the FLEGT licensing scheme.

*Source: Forest & John Bitar & Co. Ltd.*

Thanking the independent experts for their thorough analysis, the EU could not hide its disappointment in the failure of Ghana to start licensing. Ghana now has to work with resolve to crown its decade-long effort in the implementation of the VPA to address quickly all outstanding issues for FLEGT licensing.

“Ultimately, we expect FLEGT-licensed timber products to bring significant economic benefits to Ghana and its forestry sector, as they will automatically meet the requirements of the EU Timber Regulation”, said Ms Diana Acconcia, Head of the EU Delegation to Ghana.

On Ghana’s part, the Chief Executive of the Forestry Commission, John Allotey, re-echoed the country position that “with the significant part of the Legality Assurance System (GhLAS) implementation behind us, Ghana’s remains committed to closing all identified gaps in order to come to the point of readiness for FLEGT licensing”.

The Ghana-EU Joint Monitoring Review Mechanism (JMRM), the joint committee overseeing the implementation of the agreement, will determine next steps based on the report. The next JMRM meeting is tentatively scheduled for April 2021.

Logs and Lumber Limited

Ghana’s forest management makes strides through Social Responsibility Agreements

14 December 2020

In Ghana, traditional customs and practices – such as ‘taboo’ days when no one enters the forest – have helped to protect forests through the ages. But these practices have not always been respected, with some timber companies logging in areas adjacent to communities even on sacred days.

Communities have reported seeing a change for the better with Ghana’s implementation of binding contracts between timber companies and local communities, known as Social Responsibility Agreements (SRAs). These agreements oblige companies to agree on a range of issues including compensation and observance of cultural norms with communities ahead of logging activities.

Companies have also begun to see advantages in building a positive relationship with communities living in the areas where they operate. “We realised that the more we engaged with communities, the easier our work became,” said Stephen Kwame Paddy, Chain of Custody manager at Logs and Lumber Limited, one of Ghana’s biggest timber companies. “We started to understand their frustrations and their needs… this made our work easier.”

The adoptions of SRAs was in part driven by Ghana’s implementation of its Voluntary Partnership Agreement with the European Union. As part of the Agreement, Ghana started paying added attention to the implementation of laws and regulations applicable to forest operations, including those focusing on SRAs.

Joseph Sackey is equipped with legally required helmet and ear protections.

Strong law enforcement drives responsible timber businesses in Ghana

14 January 2020

The VPA ALA Facility has published a story reporting how law enforcement and continuous checks on operators are transforming business practices in Ghana’s timber sector. Companies are making noticeable improvements, in particular in relation to environmental and social obligations.

*The Ghana VPA has enhanced enforcement of health and safety requirements in forestry operations.*

Strengthened law enforcement is part of an ongoing effort in Ghana to improve the governance of the forest sector, and safeguard the long-term survival of the country’s forests. Law enforcement, as well as demands for better health and safety conditions by employees becoming more aware of their rights, and are yielding impressive results.