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The European Union (EU) has commended Ghana for putting in place robust mechanisms and legal frameworks leading to the trade in legally verified timber under the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) licensing regime.
It is said that by becoming Africa’s only country to switch to the new trade requirements, the government has demonstrated the political will to ensure that timber and timber products are sourced from traceable legal sources to protect the forest.
The EU Ambassador to Ghana, Irchad Razaaly, stated that from the business perspective, the milestone was an opportunity for the Ghanaian exporter to distinguish themselves from the others and take advantage of unrestricted access to the EU market, and gave the assurance that the EU would strengthen its collaboration with Ghana to ensure that trading in timber under the FLEGT licence was successful.
"We are standing for sustainable forest management and the protection of forest ecosystems; we are standing for improvement in the management of forest resources and for the involvement of local communities and civil societies in forest sustainability," he said.
The EU Ambassador stated this at the 13th session of the Joint Monitoring and Review Mechanism (JMRM) of the Ghana-EU FLEGT voluntary partnership Agreement (VPA) meeting held in Accra on August 27.
Over the years, the JMRM platform has been an avenue for dialogue, technical assessment, and shared commitment towards strengthening governance in Ghana’s forest sector.
The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, led the government delegation to the meeting.
Present at the meeting were the Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Alhaji Yusif Sulemana; the VPA multi-stakeholder Implementation Committee; and members of the EU delegation to Ghana.
Sixteen years after signing the VPA, the country committed to building a robust technical system, strong institutions, and a uniquely collaborative policy-making process for the operationalisation of the FLEGT licensing regime.
Subsequently, history was made on August 15, this year, when Ghana officially commenced its live operation of the FLEGT licensing regime, with the issuance of six certificates to five companies to export legally sourced timber and timber products to the EU market.
After issuing the first six certificates to six companies to export timber to the EU market under FLEGT on August 15, the minister said full-blown operations would officially take off in the EU on October 8.
The minister gave a firm assurance that Ghana would not look back in the FLEGT regime because the government had reviewed and strengthened the country's legal framework, improved transparency in timber allocation, invested in modern and robust wood tracking and legality assurance systems, engaged communities, and trained industry players to comply with legality requirements.
"With the completion of all necessary technical and political processes, we are pleased to announce that Ghana’s FLEGT-licensed timber will be operational in the European Union market from the 8th of October 2025," he stated.
He said the milestone was significant because it had demonstrated to the world that Ghana managed its forests within a framework of good governance anchored in the rule of law, an environment where transparency and accountability prevailed, and where investors could have the confidence to conduct business.
Again, he said the feat had placed Ghana in a stronger position to respond proactively to new global demands, including the soon-to-be-operational EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR).
"By becoming the first African nation and the second globally to issue FLEGT licences, Ghana has assumed the important responsibility of proving that its Timber Legality Assurance System remains robust and dependable for the global timber market," he said.
