Ghana is strengthening its forest monitoring and commodity traceability systems as exporters prepare to meet European Union rules requiring products such as cocoa and cashew to be traced to land that has not been recently deforested.
The Forestry Commission, Africa Forest Forum and Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa convened a national policy dialogue in Accra to discuss how the country can meet the requirements of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), while developing youth employment and sustainable land management opportunities.
Forestry Commission Chief Executive Hugh Brown said Ghana was strengthening its institutions and traceability systems to ensure exports comply with international standards. He identified existing farm-mapping initiatives, the Ghana Forest Investment Programme and the Ghana Cocoa Forest REDD+ Programme as foundations for the country’s preparations.
The regulation requires companies placing covered commodities on the EU market to demonstrate that their products are not linked to deforestation. Cocoa and cashew are among the commodities affected, making traceability a critical issue for Ghanaian producers and exporters seeking access to European markets.
Professor Labode Popoola, executive secretary of the Africa Forest Forum, said the regulation could encourage farming practices that allow agricultural production and forest conservation to coexist. He cited implementation deadlines of June 2026 for small operators and December 2026 for large operators.
The dialogue also focused on developing businesses around traceability and climate innovation. Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa Country Director Betty Simawa Annan said the organisation was supporting a grant-funded initiative to scale up youth-led climate innovations in Ghana, Kenya and Ethiopia.
The programme aims to train 3,000 young people and women in business skills, support more than 30 youth-led enterprises and help each participating country develop a national roadmap by the end of 2027.
Brown said Ghana’s forests support water resources, biodiversity, local climate regulation and livelihoods, while contributing to long-term agricultural productivity, particularly in the cocoa sector. He identified agricultural expansion, illegal mining, uncontrolled cattle grazing, unsustainable logging, wildfires and infrastructure development as major threats.
Ghana’s previous engagement with the European Union through the Voluntary Partnership Agreement on forest governance and timber legality could also provide lessons for implementing the new requirements, he said.
Other presentations examined Ghana’s progress under the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade programme, policy options for deforestation-free cocoa production and business opportunities for young people in cocoa processing.
The dialogue brought together government agencies, development partners, industry representatives and entrepreneurs to discuss a national approach to meeting the EU requirements.
