A license to ensure smooth passage of timber? This African country has made it happen!

On August 15, 2025, Ghana's Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) licensing system was successfully launched, making it the first African country to issue such licenses and the second in the world after Indonesia. 

It is reported that the launch of this licensing system is the result of nearly 16 years of investment and reform by the forestry department of Ghana, and it also marks the official start of verified legal timber exports from Ghana. Previously, the Ghanaian parliament had approved 131 Timber Utilization Contracts (TUCs), clearing the last regulatory hurdle for the smooth implementation of the certification system. 

The Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) licensing system aims to issue a legality certificate at the national level, confirming that the entire process of logging, transportation and processing of timber and timber products exported to the EU in Ghana complies with the current laws of Ghana. Any goods with a valid FLEGT license are automatically deemed to have fulfilled the due diligence obligations under the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR) and can directly enter the EU market, thereby blocking the risk of illegal timber circulation at the institutional level. 

As of now, over 350 industry practitioners in Ghana have completed the training for applying for FLEGT licenses, providing international buyers with compliance guarantees for transactions. This system not only enables Ghana to fully comply with the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR) and the commitments under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, but also, through official endorsement of legitimacy, relieves buyers of the need for additional due diligence, further consolidating Ghana's exemplary position in global sustainable forest governance. 

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