In an attempt to fight illegal logging and its associated trade, Ghana commits to trading in only legal wood both on the European and domestic market under a Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) with the European Union (EU). To help parties establish the legality of wood being traded, a Timber legality Assurance System (TLAS) has been developed. This means that all actors along the wood supply chain need to know their responsibilities and what is required under the TLAS to comply fully in other to stay in business.

Hence, this publication is intended to provide information to Small and Medium Forest Enterprises in Ghana on what TLAS is, how it should be implemented and what they need to do to stay compliant. It also introduces the origin of the VPA and discusses the main reasons for Ghana signing unto the bilateral agreement.

This publication was put together under an EU funded project ‘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’.