The European Forest Institute (EFI) has launched a new project to support Ghana’s efforts in sustainable forest management and governance.

The project, implemented by five consortiums and titled “Support Forest Institute to FLEGT-related Multistakeholder Platforms and Non-State Actor Participation in Tree Tenure Reform in Ghana,” has a duration from November 2025 to June 2027.

It aims to strengthen civil society, community, and private sector participation in decision-making platforms.

While the TaylorCrabbe Initiative is leading the consortium, ECOCare Ghana will handle the sensitization of annual reports with the help of the Forestry Commission in components monitoring,

The Rights and Advocacy Initiative Network (Rain) will championing the gender, social inclusion and mentorship, the Nature and Development Foundation is in charge of stakeholder engagements and business forums with different private sector groups; and Tropenbos Ghana working is on technical assistance and field visits, particularly with farmers and communities.

There will be the training of community champions on mappings to collect data, which is mostly a challenge.

Currently, the primary focus areas are Offinso in the Ashanti Region, Goaso in the Ahafo Region, and Sefwi Wiaso in the Western North Region.

In a virtual address, Madam Caroline Haywood, the Contract Manager of EFI, said: “We are extremely lucky to have a wealth of experience in legal and policy expertise, stakeholder engagement, social inclusion, and sustainable forest management.”

She said the EFI was honored to continue collaborating with stakeholders in the sector.

Mr Clement Akapame, a representative of TaylorCrabbe, said the project will support Ghana’s progress in forest governance, building on the success of the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) with the European Union (EU).

Mr Clement Beckers, a representative of the EU, clarified that while the project did not directly tackle illegal mining, it supported Ghana’s efforts to address tree loss.

“We support sustainable forest management to ensure forests benefit Ghanaians,” he said.

According to Mr Beckers, the project focuses on participatory forest governance, involving civil society, the private sector, and the government to verify the legality and sustainability of timber exports to Europe.

He emphasized the EU’s interest in ensuring timber trade benefited Ghanaians and not just a few companies.

“We want a timber trade that benefits communities, not just a few companies,” he said.

Mr Joseph Osiakwam, the Technical Director, Forestry, Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, said the project’s launch highlighted the work ahead to implement the VPA and ensure sustainable forest governance.

He noted that the Ministry acknowledged the significant milestone of issuing Ghana’s FLEGT license in 2025, making it the first in Africa and second globally after Indonesia.

Mr Osiakwam added that the project’s focus on multi-stakeholder platforms and participation was crucial for the implementation phase.

“The critical phase is the implementation of the VPA… it’s of heightened importance and requires a strong and inclusive partnership with all the multi-stakeholder groups,” he said.

He noted that the over 400 licenses issued under the FLEGT scheme indicated serious work had begun.

He thanked partners, including civil society organisations, the private sector, and the EU, for their contributions.

Mrs. Doreen Asuman Yeboah, a representative of Rain, said Ghana’s participatory model of forest governance had been celebrated globally, but challenges remained.