Ghana’s Timber industry has long been a pivotal point for Ghana’s economic gains, providing livelihoods and employment for thousands of Ghanaian youth.
However, the local timber sector is struggling to survive; many of these local timber companies cannot sustain themselves due to numerous production and policy factors.
One of these factors is the growing trend of imported plywood, particularly from Chinese manufacturers. This trend has raised alarms among local producers, who argue that the flooding of the market with cheaper imports undermines their businesses and threatens the local woodworking industry.
Mr. Ahmed Alhassan, is the Director of Logs Court Limited, publicly criticized the Forestry Commission and various government officials for their unconcern role in the overwhelming influx of imported plywood from China into the Ghanaian market.
According to him, the development has raised concerns about its impact on their businesses.
The Forestry Commission and government have failed in their duty to safeguard the interests of local timber companies for not enforcing existing regulations that govern timber imports, ultimately leading to the unchecked influx of imported plywood, which he claims often does not meet the country’s quality and sustainability standards.
“The continuous importation of substandard plywood undermines local industries, and we can no longer sit idly while our market is overrun by foreign goods,” Mr. Ahmed stated.
“The government has a responsibility to protect local timber industries by ensuring that regulations are in eforce to promote the sustainability of timber firms”.
Mr. Ahmed was emphatic that, the timber industries in Ghana, are all collapsing, and when they collapsed, the economy drained, employment in that sector reduced drastically and the quensequence would be devastating.
Also speaking on illegal logging, Mr. Ahmed Alhassan said, illegal logging is one of the key factors that undermines the legal timber market and diminishes its sustainability…resulting in loss of revenue for the government and threatens biodiversity.
Despite the underlined policy regulations, enforcement remains weak. The Forest Commission and other regulatory bodies failed woefully to ensure effective monitoring and control of logging activities.
Mr. Ahmed stated emphatically that, the timber industries are already engaged in President Mahama’s 24-hour Economy policy and the emphatic truth is that, no timber firm will accept the policy because, sustainability, market and the continue increase in charges by the Forestry Commission will not help its implementation.
Speaking to amnewsworld.com in an exclusive interview averred that the kind of leaders appointed at the Forestry Commission, are people without in-depth knowledge in the sector and it’s one of the astonished problem confronting the sector largely.
Mr. Ahmed was quick to recall his personal relationship with the president, H. Excellency John Dramani Mahama applauded him for managing the economy to the like of the ordinary Ghanaian. However, he ppealed to him to as a matter of national interest constitute a swift intervention aiming at revamping the timber industry to help cushion the 24-Hour Economy policy.
