TILCAP Launches Training Manuals to Disseminate Information on Ghana’s VPA

TILCAP Launches Training Manuals to Disseminate Information on Ghana’s VPA

Ghana - 18 June, 2015

The implementation of the Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) signed between Ghana and the European Union (EU) would pave the way for a more effective forest governance system in Ghana. This would halt illegal logging and its associated revenue loss to the Government of Ghana and also ensure an equitable distribution of forest resources.

In this regard, the EU sponsored “Supporting Intermediaries with Information and Guidance to Comply with the Legality Assurance System and Engage in Policy Advocacy on the Domestic Market Reform in Ghana” project; otherwise known as the Timber Legality Compliance and Advocacy Project (TILCAP), has developed training manuals aimed at educating members of Small and Medium Scale Forest Enterprises (SMFEs) on the VPA to assist in its successful implementation.

This is in line with the project’s mandate to provide timber industry associations with the information and guidance that they need to comply with the Timber Legality Assurance System (TLAS) as outlined in Ghana’s VPA and also build their capacity to engage in policy advocacy on the domestic market.

The training manuals, entitled “Understanding Ghana’s Timber Legality Assurance System” and “Sourcing Wood Legally in Ghana” together with their local language (Twi) translations were launched on June 17 at a colourful ceremony that brought together chiefs, representatives from the EU and the media, members of SMFEs, the Forestry Commission (FC), the Forestry Research Institute of Ghana (FORIG) as well as Non-governmental and Civil Society Organisations working in the forestry sector.

The two training manuals that focus on key timber resource rights recognised by the VPA and how they can be acquired were launched by Barbara Serwaa Asamoah, Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources (MLNR).

The Deputy Minister in her launching address noted that Ghana losses millions of cedis to illegal logging annually and by signing the VPA agreement Ghanaians have committed themselves to trading in only legal timber both on the domestic and export markets.

She said it was impossible for government to carry out the needed training exercises to educate, create awareness and sensitize actors in the timber industry on the VPA processes and congratulated TBI Ghana for undertaking this herculean task to improve forest governance in Ghana.