Ghana will from October 8 this year, have unhindered access to the European Union (EU) market for its legally sourced timber products.<\/p>\n
This follows the signing of the Forest Law Enforcement, Gover\u00adnance and Trade (FLEGT) Licens\u00ading Agreement with the EU.<\/p>\n
Ghana becomes the first country in Africa, and the second globally, to obtain the FLEGT Licence, a development expected to give the country a competitive edge in the international timber trade.<\/p>\n
Addressing the 13th session of the Joint Monitoring and Review Mechanism (JMRM) between Gha\u00adna and the EU in Accra yesterday, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Mr Armah Kofi Buah, described the milestone as a \u201cdeep sense of national accomplishment.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSixteen years after signing the Voluntary Partnership Agreement, our commitment to building robust technical systems, strong institu\u00adtions and a uniquely collaborative policymaking process has indeed come to fruition. Over this period, we have strengthened our legal framework, improved transparency in timber allocation, invested in modern tracking and legality assur\u00adance systems, engaged communi\u00adties, and trained industry players to comply with legality requirements,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n
Mr Buah, who is also the care\u00adtaker Minister for the Ministry of Environment, Science and Tech\u00adnology, said the launch of the live operation of the FLEGT licensing system on August 15, 2025, paved the way for Ghana\u2019s timber legality assurance system to be recognised by the EU.<\/p>\n
He said signing of the agreement meant that timber from Ghana would be admitted to the European market from October 8 without further due diligence requirements.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis milestone demonstrates to the world that Ghana manages its forest resources within a framework of good governance anchored in the rule of law, transparency and accountability,\u201d Mr Buah said.<\/p>\n
He added that the achievement placed Ghana in a stronger position to respond proactively to emerging global requirements, including the soon-to-be operational EU defor\u00adestation regulation.<\/p>\n
Acknowledging the challenges encountered in the 15-year journey, the Minister paid tribute to govern\u00adment officials, industry players, civil society organisations and interna\u00adtional partners who contributed to the process.<\/p>\n
He particularly commended the EU Delegation to Ghana and the United Kingdom\u2019s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office for their financial, policy and technical support.<\/p>\n
Mr Buah also called for support for Ghana\u2019s flagship \u201cTree for Life Reforestation Initiative\u201d launched by President John Dramani Maha\u00adma earlier this year.<\/p>\n
The initiative, the Minister said, sought to restore degraded land\u00adscapes, increase commercial tree planting and reduce pressure on natural forests.<\/p>\n
A consultant to the JMRM, Mr Chris Beeko, described the development as \u201ca very import\u00adant milestone in the EU-Ghana partnership,\u201d noting that the licence marked the conclusion of a 15-year effort.<\/p>\n
He said the EU had confirmed that its systems were ready to receive Ghana\u2019s FLEGT licences beginning October 8.<\/p>\n
The review meeting also consid\u00adered the report of the independent monitor of Ghana\u2019s timber legality assurance system, preparations for a test shipment to the EU, and future communication on the achievements at global platforms.<\/p>\n
The Ambassador of the EU to Ghana, Mr Irchad Razaaly, said the agreement would help Ghana gain access to the EU\u2019s timber market of more than 450 million people.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe FLEGT Licence strength\u00adens cooperation between Ghana and the EU and demonstrates what can be achieved when both parties are committed to a shared vision,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Mr Razaaly said the agreement would be a big boost for Ghana\u2019s timber industry.<\/p>\n
The FLEGT initiative is a key component of the EU\u2019s efforts to combat illegal logging and promote sustainable forest management globally.<\/p>\n
Click here for source.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Ghana will from October 8 this year, have unhindered access to the European Union (EU) market for its legally sourced timber products.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":13295,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[153],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13259","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-articles"],"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":13182,"url":"https:\/\/gnbcc.net\/ghana-begins-legal-timber-export-under-new-eu-legal-framework\/","url_meta":{"origin":13259,"position":0},"title":"Ghana begins legal timber export under new EU legal framework","author":"Tracy Mensah","date":"October 7, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The Forestry Commission has issued the first six certificates to five Ghanaian companies to export timber and timber products to the European market under the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) licensing regime. 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