Timber Monitoring Team pushes registration as 95% of sawn timber sellers remain unregistered

A recent inspection of sawn timber markets in Kumasi has exposed that an overwhelming majority of industry participants are operating without the necessary licenses, a fact the Timber Monitoring Team attributes to the proliferation of illegal logging and the challenge of tracing timber's origin. The team's director, Alhaji Mohammed Doku, highlighted that the absence of registration permits enables individuals to trespass into forest reserves, extract timber, and transport it for sale without the requisite documentation.

Speaking at a stakeholder meeting with timber vendors in five Kumasi wood markets aimed at enhancing documentation, preserving forest reserves, and fortifying timber tracking, Doku revealed that approximately 95% of timber dealers in Ghana are unregistered. He explained, “Any person can enter the forest, cut lumber, and decide to take it elsewhere to sell.”

During the engagement, the team discovered that at least 5,000 individuals are directly engaged in wood trade in Kumasi, with four times that number operating under these dealers. The assessment also uncovered considerable documentation deficiencies among traders and workers in the sector. The absence of proper documentation frequently leads to timber being seized by authorities, disrupting the businesses of traders.

Several traders reported instances of their timber being impounded for various reasons during separate open forums with industry participants. Common reasons for these impoundments included the failure to obtain conveyance licenses. To tackle this issue, Doku promised the Timber Monitoring Team's willingness to assist timber dealers in their registration and documentation processes.

He emphasized that proper registration and documentation would enhance traceability within the timber sector and diminish unnecessary confrontations between traders and law enforcement agencies. The team is consequently urging timber dealers and other industry players to formalize their operations as part of the efforts to promote legitimate timber trade and safeguard Ghana's forest resources.