Eight Forest Services Division (FSD) District Managers of the Forestry Commission and their assistants across the country have undergone a training workshop on how to populate and implement the Social Responsibility Agreement (SRA) portal.
The portal was developed on the Ghana Wood Tracking and Decision Support System as part of Ghana’s Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) processes.
The SRA is a legally binding contract between timber companies and local communities that ensures communities benefit directly from logging activities through compensation, development projects and social support.
It requires timber rights holders to conclude agreements with affected communities and provide benefits equivalent to five per cent of stumpage fees.
The two-day training workshop, which was attended by 80 participants, was organised by Civic Response, a civil society organisation, in conjunction with the Forestry Commission and the Rights and Advocacy Initiatives Network (RAIN).
It formed part of the implementation of a project dubbed “Support for the implementation of Social Responsibility Agreements (SRA) in Ghana’s forestry sector - Enhancing SRA Implementation in Ghana” with funding from the European Union through Agence Française de Développement (AFD).
Reaffirmation
In an address delivered on his behalf, the Director, Timber Validation Department, Forestry Commission, Kwabena Akyeampong Boakye, said the training was a reaffirmation of their collective responsibility to protect Ghana’s forest resources, uphold legality and ensure that the communities who live closest to our forests share meaningfully in the benefits of sustainable timber operations.
He said the move showed a shared national commitment to strengthening sustainable forest management, deepening accountability, and ensuring that legality assurance under the Ghana Legality Assurance System (GhLAS) delivers justice, confidence and visible development for the people.
“Under the Ghana Legality Assurance System, implemented within the framework of the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade Voluntary Partnership Agreement between Ghana and the European Union, we have taken significant steps to ensure that timber placed on the market is legally produced, traceable and compliant with all applicable legal requirements”.
He emphasised that SRAs were not acts of goodwill or optional arrangements but statutory obligations, including the Timber Resources Management Act, 1997 (Act 547), the Timber Resources Management Regulations, 1998 (L.I. 1649) and the Timber Resource Management (Legality Licensing) Regulations, 2012 (L.I. 2184).
In a welcome address, the Head of Programmes, Civic Response, Albert Katako, said it was essential to strengthen the enforcement and implementation of the SRA for the mutual benefit of fringe communities and timber rights owners.
