The Forestry Commission has issued the first six certificates to five Ghanaian companies to export timber and timber products to the European market under the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance, and Trade (FLEGT) licensing regime. The certificates, which are part of the 131 timber utilisation contracts (TUCs) ratified by Parliament on June 24 this year, were presented to Samartex Timber and Plywood Co. Ltd, Logs and Lumber Ltd, JCM Company Ltd, Mere Plantations Ltd, and West Coast Wooden Products Ghana Ltd. Context Also known as the timber legality licence, the FLEGT licence is a document issued by timber-producing countries that have ratified a voluntary partnership agreement (VPA) with the EU. The FLEGT confirms that shipments of timber or timber products have been legally produced under the relevant laws of the country of harvest. It also ensures that timber exported to the EU by partner countries is harvested legally, thereby promoting sustainable forest management. The Actin...