Ghana has granted its first timber legality licenses, becoming the first African nation and the second globally, after Indonesia, to export timber to the European Union.

The Forestry Commission on Tuesday granted six initial certificates to five Ghanaian companies, authorizing them to export timber and related products to the European market under the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance, and Trade (FLEGT) licensing program.

The certificates, linked to the 131 Timber Utilization Contracts (TUCs) approved by Parliament in June this year, were given to Samartex Timber and Plywood, Logs and Lumber, JCM Company, Mere Plantations, and West Coast Wooden Products, enabling them to export timber and timber products to Italy, Germany, and Estonia.

The FLEGT licenses, commonly referred to as the timber legality licenses, are granted by timber-producing nations that entered into a Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) with the European Union in 2009.

The certification verifies that timber and timber products have been sourced in accordance with the legal framework of the country of origin. It also guarantees that exports to the EU from partner countries are legally harvested, supporting responsible forestry and sustainable forest management practices.

Ghana intended to start FLEGT-certified timber exports in June, but delays in parliamentary approval postponed the schedule. With the initial licenses now granted, the country is set to meet the EU’s October 2025 compliance deadline under the Voluntary Partnership Agreement.

The introduction of the licensing regime attended by government officials and diplomats in Accra further reinforces Ghana’s commitment to sustainable forest governance, officially designating the country as a ‘low-risk’ nation under the European Union’s new Deforestation Regulation (EUDR).

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