Ghana must take note of Vietnam and add much more value to its timber exports – that is, according to Eilkem Koto, the country’s Deputy CEO of the Forestry Commission, who said, “cheap boards and MDF (medium-density fibreboards) are key areas to explore:
“In Ghana, for instance, we always export our wood in its primary (log) form,” Koto told a US-based Columbus Net Investors meeting yesterday. “If you go to Vietnam, for instance, they even import from us and add value to it, and the revenue they generate from that more than quadruples what they have invested into it.”
The push to add more value to exports comes after Wood Central last year revealed that Europe—which is alongside China one of Africa’s leading importers of logs—is scaling back on imports, with the International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO) revealing that imports dropped 20% to 350,000 cubic metres for the first six months of 2024.
Ghana is among the hardest-hit markets—down more than 34%—and the ITTO revealed that global demand for logs is low, “with Brazil, China, the Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Malaysia and Mexico all receiving lower orders than past months: “Given this, many enterprises are looking at new ways to expand their markets, such as by developing innovative products, increasing sales channels and providing new services.”
In December, John Allotey, CEO of Ghana’s Forestry Commission, revealed that Ghana exported 92.6 million euros of timber during the last quarter of 2024—missing its target of 145 million euros—comprising about 200,000 cubic metres of timber. Of all lumber exports, Ghana’s top five products were lumber (air-dried and kiln-dried), billets, plywood, and rotary veneer.
- To learn more about Vietnam’s booming furniture trade – and how global tariffs could have a major impact on the supply of tropical timbers – click here for Wood Central’s special feature.
