FLEGT Compliance in Ghana:
Developing the capacity of Loggers without processing mills.

The timber industry is the implementer and main beneficiary of FLEGT-VPA processes and their understanding and compliance is the indicator of the eventual success of FLEGT-VPA in Ghana. In Ghana’s timber industry, there are about three identified categories in the concession system: Concession holders with processing facility, Concession holders without processing facility and Processing facilities without concessions. Recent capacity building projects for the private sector in Ghana have tended to focus on either category 1) concession holders with milling capacity or category 3) processing facilities without concessions. Less attention has been paid to concession holders without milling capacity.

Demand exceeding supply in great strides weakens the resolve of processing facilities without concessions to insist on evidence of FLEGT compliance when receiving raw materials from this category of concession holders. As the initiator of the timber supply chain, this category of concession holders initiate harvesting operations right from the forest floor in the timber supply chain yet many of them have little understanding and appreciation of the critical requirements of this process.

Health and safety is a key concern in forestry work because of the high risks, the reputational damage to the company and the violation of the fundamental human right of the affected individuals. All these concerns ultimately affect the issuance of FLEGT License, Export Permit, Domestic Timber Inspection Certificate (DoTIC), whichever is applicable. In this light, with funding from the European Union; NDF is implementing a project titled FLEGT Compliance in Ghana: Developing the capacity of Loggers without processing mills.