The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has signed Letters of Agreement with five corporate bodies in Ghana aimed at supporting private sector implementation of the Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA).
FAO will fund this support from its Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade (FLEGT) programme. Participating agencies include the Kumasi Wood Cluster Association, the Ghana Timber Millers Organization and the Nature and Development Foundation which can all submit proposals for funding activities which support VPA implementation. The Forestry Commission will take the lead in capacity building amongst smallholders and sawmillers to eliminate illegal practices.
At a ceremony in Accra Mr William Hanna, Head of the EU Delegation in Ghana said the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR) has placed a legal obligation on European wood product importers to see that imported products are manufactured from legally sourced forests.
Source: ITTO
