Forest Watch Ghana calls for ratification of remaining permits

The Forest Watch Ghana (FWG), a coalition of over 40 civil society organisations (CSOs) and individuals in the forestry sector, has called on the government to ratify the 137 remaining extant permits and leases for the timber industry under the Ghana-EU Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA).

The coalition indicated that the agreement between the country and the EU had seen only 11 out of the 148 agreements flagged in 2014, ratified by Parliament as law in the form of the Timber Resources Management and Legality Licensing Regulations, 2017 (L.I 2254), as of July this year, following a joint assessment by the two parties.

The assessment which aimed at confirming the country’s readiness to supply the EU with legal timber revealed that all 148 permits and leases needed to be ratified by Parliament to conform with laws on the sustainable management of forest resources. 

Impact

Addressing a press conference yesterday, a Member of FWG, Doreen Asumang-Yeboah, stated that concerns regarding illegal mining, commonly known as “galamsey”, around water bodies and forest reserves, and the delay in the ratification could jeopardise the country’s access to the EU market in the trading of legal timber.

Journalists

This agreement, she indicated, had been fraught with challenges for successive governments, including, “the requirement to ensure that timber is only logged from a permitted production forest reserve and with a legal permit ratified by Parliament”.    

She indicated that “this is one of the key legal requirements that ensures the state, acting through the Forestry Commission and the MLNR, follows the procedures laid down in law for the issuance of permits for logging timber”.

Context

The Ghana-EU Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA), established in 2009, is a legally binding trade agreement that seeks to ensure that all timber and timber products exported from the country to the EU are sourced legally.

It is part of the EU's Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Action Plan which aims to combat illegal logging, promote sustainable forest management, and improve governance in the forestry sector.

Through the VPA, Ghana commits to reforming its forestry laws and ensures that all timber exports to the EU are verified as legal. The VPA is significant in addressing illegal logging, which contributes to deforestation, climate change, and loss of biodiversity.

The agreement not only targets timber exported to the EU but also has implications for domestic timber markets and broader forest governance reforms. 

The Ghana-EU FLEGT VPA is structured around several core mechanisms to ensure the legality of timber exports. At the heart of this is the Timber Legality Assurance System (TLAS), which tracks timber from harvest through the supply chain, ensuring compliance with Ghanaian laws on forest management, environmental protection and labour rights. It is aimed at ensuring the sustainable management and utilisation of the country’s timber resources.

Commitment

For his part, Obed Owusu-Addai also said the coalition considered the government's inaction in completing the process of ratifying the remaining permits and leases as a lack of commitment to the sustainable management of the country’s forest resources and environment.

He urged the MLNR, the Forestry Commission and the Parliamentary Select Committee on Lands and Forestry to  “expedite the ratification process, ensuring all leases are finalised by the end of 2024; and also convene a multi-stakeholder meeting with the view of announcing the government’s plans for implementing the laws on the sustainable management of our forest reserves and timber resources”.

This, according to him, would be crucial for safeguarding the country's forest resources and the trade in legal timber.