The European Union has urged governments, Civil Society Organizations, and the private sector to ensure that timber exported to European countries is legally harvested and sustainably sourced, with robust verification systems in place to guarantee compliance.

The Programme Officer for Infrastructure and Sustainable Development at the European Union, Clement Beckers, in an interview with Accra 100.5 FM, stated that the EU aims to promote strong forest governance and legal timber trade in Ghana, building on the country’s recent milestone of issuing Africa’s first Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) timber license.

He made these remarks at a consortium meeting implementing the European Forest Institute (EFI) project titled “Support to FLEGT-related Multistakeholder Platforms and Non-State Actor Participation in Tree Tenure Reform in Ghana.”

The project, funded by the European Union and implemented in partnership with EcoCare Ghana, the Nature and Development Foundation, Tropenbos Ghana, and the Rights and Advocacy Initiatives Network, seeks to strengthen multistakeholder participation in the implementation of the FLEGT Voluntary Partnership Agreement.

It also aims to enhance the capacity of non-state actors to engage meaningfully in ongoing tree tenure policy reform in Ghana.

He noted that effective collaboration between government agencies, the private sector, and Civil Society Organizations is essential to sustaining progress in forest governance reforms.

The Executive Director of the Right and Advocacy Initiative Network, Dr.Doreen Asumang Yeboah, further explained that strengthening tree tenure rights and clarifying ownership structures will empower local communities and smallholder farmers to actively participate in sustainable forest management.

This, she said, will not only improve livelihoods but also contribute to environmental protection and climate resilience.