Ghana has signed an Aide Mémoire with the European Union confirming it will begin FLEGT (Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade) licensing on 8 October 2025, making the country the first in Africa and the second globally after Indonesia to place FLEGT-licensed timber on the EU market. The move caps a 16-year reform effort to strengthen forest governance, legality, and traceability.
Ghana officially launched live operations of its FLEGT licensing system on 15 August 2025. This showed Ghana’s readiness to supply verified legal timber to the European Union (EU) market under internationally recognised standards.
Speaking at the 13th Joint Monitoring and Review and Mechanism (JMRM) of the Ghana-EU FLEGT Voluntary Partnership Agreement, the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Hon. Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah (MP), hailed the milestone as proof of “good governance anchored in the rule of law,” noting Ghana has overhauled its legal framework, improved transparency in timber allocation, rolled out robust wood-tracking and legality assurance systems, and trained the industry to comply.
The Minister thanked Ghana’s technical teams, civil society, and industry, as well as the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, for long-term support. He described the milestone as a deep sense of national accomplishment. Looking ahead, he invited partners to back the “Tree for Life” Reforestation Initiative launched by the President of the Republic of Ghana, H.E. John Dramani Mahama. He further emphasized that the initiative aims to increase commercial tree planting to reduce pressure on natural forests, with a long-term goal that exports to the EU from established commercial plantations.
Ghana sees this initiative as an endpoint, but as another important step towards even greater achievements in forest governance, trade, sustainable development, and climate action.
The EU Ambassador to Ghana, His Excellency Irchad Razaaly, stressed on the business benefits, the sustainability and traceability requirements are designed to give an edge to Ghanaian exporters, guaranteeing unfettered access to a market of 450 million citizens. He recalled that the broad political backing in Europe support the start date and praised Ghana’s sustained technical work and stakeholder engagement.
Ghana and EU pledged continues cooperation through the JMRM to ensure smooth implementation of the licensing regime and readiness for emerging global rules, including the EU Deforestation Regulation. In conclusion from 8 October,2025 all Ghanaian timber and timber products covered by a FLEGT licence will receive automatic access to EU markets
