The Timber Industry Development Division (TIDD) of the Forestry Commission has held a day's workshop on timber trade regulations for the staff of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).
The workshop was part of efforts by the Forestry Commission to forge strong collaboration among regulatory agencies in the timber industry.
Addressing the participants, Dr Alhaji Alhassan Attah, Executive Director of the TIDD, said the Timber Resources (Legality Licensing) Regulations, 2012, that was passed recently sought to provide a licensing scheme to regulate the import and export of timber products to and from Ghana as part of measures to control international trade of illegally harvested timber products and logging.
He said the regulation also made provision of issuance of electronic licences.
Dr Atta said the object of the workshop was to strengthen collaboration between the Forestry Commission and its agencies and other regulatory stakeholders through information sharing and capacity building to improve the enforcement of laws on import and export of timber and timber products.
Dr Atta further stressed the effect illegal logging had on livelihoods and the environment.
"It is estimated that developing countries lose about US$ 10 to 15 billion annually from illegal logging," he stated.
He explained that the European Union (EU), through its Forest Law Enforcement Governance Trade (FLEGT ) Action Plan, planned to implement the Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPAs), which are the bilateral agreements between the EU and countries exporting timber products to the EU.
He said VPAs were intended to establish Legality Assurance Systems (LAS) to ensure that timber destined for the EU markets was produced in accordance with the existing legislation of the FLEGT partner countries.
By Samuel Adjei-Boateng/Daily Graphic/Ghana
