The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, has inaugurated the Timber Validation Committee, marking another step in Ghana’s drive to promote transparency, legality, and sustainability in the forestry sector.
The Committee is a central component of Ghana’s Timber Legality Assurance System (TLAS), tasked with reviewing timber licensing applications, verifying compliance with national laws, and advising on the implementation of the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) licensing regime.
At the ceremony in Accra last week, Mr. Armah-Kofi Buah described the forestry sector as vital to Ghana’s economy, contributing jobs, foreign exchange earnings, and environmental balance.
He, however, expressed concern about years of unsustainable logging practices that have undermined the credibility of Ghana’s timber exports and threatened the survival of forest resources.
“As you are all aware, the forestry sector is one of the pillars of our national economy, yet over the years, unsustainable practices have threatened not only the reputation of our timber exports but also the very foundation of our forest resources,” the Minister said.
Ghana’s commitment to reversing this trend dates back to 2009, when it entered into a Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) with the European Union under the EU-FLEGT initiative.
The agreement obliges Ghana to export only timber products verified as legal under a rigorous system of checks and certification.
Mr. Armah-Kofi Buah announced that Ghana had recently issued its first FLEGT license, becoming the first country in Africa—and the second in the world after Indonesia—to reach that milestone.
The license certifies that timber exports meet strict international standards for legality and sustainability.
The EU is expected to receive its first shipment of FLEGT-licensed Ghanaian timber on October 8, 2025.
Emphasising the central role of the new body, the Minister told Committee members that their credibility and professionalism would determine the trust international markets place in Ghana’s forestry governance system.
“Our international markets will rely on your work; our local industry will depend on your fairness and efficiency, and future generations will judge us by how well we protect and sustain our forest resources today,” he stated.
He urged the members to work with impartiality and integrity, describing the Committee as “a beacon of good governance and accountability in the forestry sector.”
He also assured them of the government’s commitment to provide resources needed for their work and appealed to them to always put national interest first.
The inauguration comes at a time when Ghana is scaling up reforms aimed at balancing economic growth with conservation.
The Timber Validation Committee is now expected to play a crucial role in ensuring that both domestic and international timber trade complies with legal standards, further positioning Ghana as a responsible player in the global timber market.
