Ghana to issue FLEGT licence

 Ghana will begin issuing Forest Law Enforcement Gov­ernance and Trade (FLEGT) licence for exports to the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom (UK) this year, the Chief Executive of the Forestry Commission, Mr John Allotey, has disclosed.

According to him, this followed a meeting in Brussels, Belgium in Sep­tember last year, of the Joint Monitor­ing and Review Mechanism (JMRM) body for the country’s FLEGT Vol­untary Partnership Agreement (VPA) with the EU.

Again, under the Ghana Cocoa Forest REDD Programme (GCFRP), Ghana has become the second country in Africa after Mozambique, to receive payments from the World Bank trust fund, for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation.

So far, he said 972,456 tons of car­bondioxide (CO2) emission reductions were validated and verified by the World Bank for the first monitoring period (2019).

Mr Allotey said Upfront Advance Payment (UAP) of USD1,323,501.00 was received in 2020, from the $4,862, 280 of carbon payments from the World Bank in January 2023.

Under the REDD Programme, Mr Allotey said the FC Board, led by Tetrete Okuamoah Sekyim II, mem­bers of the Project Steering Com­mittee, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Global Shea Alliance, had paid a working visit to outdoor the first 1,000 grafted shea seedlings.

The project intends to plant 3.5 mil­lion grafted shea seedlings to restore degraded shea parklands,” he said.

Similarly, he reported that, FC had signed a Letter of Intent with Tullow Oil PLC to give the oil company a one-year exclusivity over an identified project area.

“The nature-based carbon offset programme will focus on the Western part of the transition zone in Ghana (Bono and Bono East Regions) in line with Ghana’s REDD strategy. The signing of an Emission Reduc­tion Payment Agreement (ERPA) will provide funding to the Commission to undertake initial project development activities,” Mr Allotey said.

For the top 10 export, he reported that, from January to October 2023, Ghana exported 139, 835.4 m3 of Teak to India, valued at 51,517,633.86 Euros (63.55 per cent), Ceiba to Togo, 7,241.5 m3, valued at 12,370,908.81 Euros, (3.29 per cent) Papao/Apa to Vietnam, 5,157.8 m3, valued at 4,369,546.32 Euros (2.3 per cent).

Wawa, Germany, 4,193.3 m3 at 2,173,072.08 Euros (1.91 %) Eucalyp­tus to Saudi Arabia, 3,188.2 m3 valued at 1,159,942.99 Euros, (1.45%), Ma­hogany to United States of America, 2,834.7 m3, at 2,755,204.15 Euros.

The total exports was 169,380 m3 and valued at 78,849,258.97 Euros, Mr Allotey added.

On the promotion of Eco Tourism, the FC CEO said the Wildlife Resourc­es Management Bill 2022, was awaiting Presidential assent.

 FROM CLEMENT ADZEI BOYE, TAKORADI

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