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Ghana: Country, Others Losing U.S.$10 Billion Through Illegal Logging
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Ghanaian Chronicle (Accra)
12 December 2007
Posted to the web 12 December 2007
Issah Alhassan
Kumasi
ILLEGAL logging has been identified as one area where the government and custodians of the country's traditional lands lose vital revenue, which otherwise could have been channeled to the socio-economic development of the people in the country.
It has also been estimated to be responsible for the loss of public assets in developing countries in excess of US$10 billion.
The Deputy Minister for Lands and Forestry, Mr. A. Adjei-Yeboah, who disclosed this while addressing the National House of Chiefs in Kumasi on the proposed Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) with the European Union (EU) and timber-producing countries in Africa, which is aimed at rectifying the rules and regulations regarding the exportation of the products, noted that in view of the problems caused by the phenomenon of illegal logging, particularly in developed countries, regional declarations and initiatives were being made to tackle the issue globally.
He explained that the Voluntary Partnership Agreement, which forms part of the EU's Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade Initiative (FLEGT), was meant to define a mutually-agreed standard against which legal compliance would be measured, as well as a system through which the origin of the product will be ascertained.
Adjei-Yeboah stressed that the EU, as the major trading partners of the producing countries in Africa, was getting worried about the depletion of our forests and its consequential effects on global climatic conditions and had therefore devised measures to arrest the situation.
In the proposed pact, products from partner countries, that are unable to meet the standards defined under the agreement, will be denied access to the EU market.
He emphasized that the rationale behind the strategy, was to use the additional lever of the market to ensure improved law enforcement and promote good governance in the timber-producing countries.
The Deputy Minister noted that the government of Ghana, having agreed to enter into negotiations with the EU, had decided to embark on a nationwide consultation to engage various stakeholders, including Nananom, in order to reach a consensus on the negotiation elements so that a holistic agreement could be reached with the developing partners.
Minister Adjei-Yeboah stated that in line with this principle, the government and EU were negotiating on issues such as the definition of legal timber, system of verification of legality including licensing of timber, a chain of custody system, independent monitoring of the entire legality system and the mitigation of possible impacts of the VPA on the domestic market.
The Minister, therefore, stressed that the contribution of Nananom, who are the custodians of most of the country's lands, would be needed to ensure the sustainable management and development of the forestry sector, adding that the VPA Secretariat had liaised with the National House of Chiefs and also made available the draft definition of legal timber for a discussion.
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The President of the National House of Chiefs, Odeneho Gyapong Ababio commended the government for the recognition given the traditional authorities, and promised that Nananom would take a careful study of the draft and make appropriate inputs to the ongoing discussions.
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