Ghana has become the first country in Africa, and only the second in the world after Indonesia, to issue a Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) licence, marking a historic milestone in global forest governance. The licence—granted under the Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) with the European Union—provides automatic access for Ghana’s timber exports to the EU market, affirming the country’s commitment to sustainable forestry, legality, and transparency.

This achievement follows more than 16 years of sector-wide reforms involving government, civil society, private sector actors, and local communities. The process has strengthened forest governance, digitised timber traceability systems, and built confidence in Ghana’s capacity to balance economic growth with environmental stewardship.

The EU Timber Regulation requires importers to exercise due diligence to avoid placing illegally harvested timber on the market. With the FLEGT licence, Ghana’s certified timber enjoys a competitive edge, as it is automatically considered legal in all EU member states. The licence also signals to international buyers beyond Europe that Ghanaian timber meets the highest standards of legality and sustainability.

Officials emphasised that the licence will boost Ghana’s timber industry—one of the country’s key non-traditional export sectors—by improving access to premium markets, enhancing the reputation of Ghanaian wood products, and opening new opportunities for trade diversification.

“Ghana’s FLEGT licence demonstrates that sustainability and competitiveness can go hand in hand,” said senior representatives of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources. “This is not only a victory for Ghana, but also a precedent for Africa, showing that legal and sustainable forestry is possible when government, industry, and communities work together.”

The European Union hailed Ghana’s progress as a landmark in Africa’s green trade agenda, underscoring the role of the FLEGT process in tackling illegal logging, protecting biodiversity, and supporting livelihoods in forest-dependent communities.

As Ghana begins issuing FLEGT-licensed shipments, stakeholders believe the achievement could catalyse broader reforms across Africa’s timber-exporting nations, positioning the continent as a future leader in legal, sustainable forest trade.