Forest and wood-based industry associations in Africa synergies

Timber industry associations from west Africa have interacted with counterparts form other sub-regions of Africa and shared experiences. During the interactions, associations identified opportunities to collaborate for skills improvement and capacity building in administration and managerial duties. This happened in Libreville of Gabon, at the African Summit for Forest and wood-based industry associations. The summit was organized by Global Timber Forum (GTF) and supported by Union des Forestiers, Industriels du Gabon et Aménagistes (UFIGA) and Nature and Development Foundation (NDF).

The summit which lasted for two days saw about seventy (70) participants from the whole of Africa with a total of twenty-one (21) from west Africa; with nine (9) being representatives of timber associations from Ghana. The West-Africa participants were supported by NDF to attend the summit. The support from NDF is a part of the project; “Innovation for Improved Forest Governance in West Africa; Demand and Supply side solutions in a changing landscape” which is being funded by the FAO-EU FLEGT PROGRAMME. Industry association who represented Ghana in the summit are; the Ghana Timber Association (GTA), the Kumasi Wood Cluster (KWC), the Furniture and Woodworkers Association of Ghana (FAWAG), the Woodworkers association of Ghana (WAG) and the Domestic Lumber Trade Association (DOLTA).

During the summit, a presentation by Mr. George White, the projects Director for GTF on a survey conducted through Africa on the challenges and needs of timber workers and trade associations revealed that; the challenges and need of the timber industry on the continent are virtually the same. Ranging from access to raw materials, lack of efficient technology and machinery to land tenure, skills and market. He therefore urged the industry to greatly collaborate amongst themselves to learn to find best solutions to constraints that confront them in the sector.

Delegates from Ghana, Liberia and Cote d’ Ivoire expressed their profound appreciation to NDF for having supported them to participate in the summit saying; the lessons learned from other associations and the contacts created would be very helpful in management of their associations and capacity building of their members.