The Concerned Timber Contractors of Ghana have petitioned the President of the Republic, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, urging urgent intervention to save the country’s timber industry from total collapse.
In a strongly worded petition dated July 14, 2025, and signed by group leader Mr. Bright Kwesi Nkeyasen, the contractors lamented that several damaging policies introduced under the previous government have led to massive capital flight and job losses, plunging the once-thriving sector into crisis.
According to the group, over 300 sawmills have relocated from Ghana to neighboring countries such as Togo due to unfriendly policy environments. “We are not here to wash our dirty linen in public,” the petition said, “but many of these issues border on national security.”
The contractors cited the fumigation of timber for export as a key example of unfair practices. They revealed that while Ghanaian timber exporters are charged as high as $200 per container, their counterparts in neighboring countries pay under $10. They also accused the foreign-owned fumigation company of conflict of interest, alleging that it is a competitor in the same timber market.
They further complained about the exorbitant stumpage prices slapped on plantation and natural timber, as well as irregularities in the allocation of timber rights and permits—insisting that no open tender process has been followed since 2017. “There is virtually no area left for plantations or natural forests. The previous administration shared everything with their party faithful,” the petition claimed.
The contractors also raised red flags over the handling of rosewood exports, citing political interference and the continued illegal felling of trees despite a supposed ban. They pledged to support the President’s “Resetting the Nation” agenda by providing leads and technical insights to clean up the Forestry Commission and restore confidence in the sector.
They demanded a full reset of the Forestry Commission and called on the President to investigate the fumigation monopoly, stumpage pricing, rosewood permit abuse, and other opaque operations within the commission. They also questioned the legitimacy of a timber task force operating across the country, asking who appointed its members and where its revenue is deposited.
The contractors ended with a stern warning: “If our concerns are not addressed, we will mobilize all our workers and families and picket the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources with our sawmills, trucks, and dozers until we are heard.”
The President has yet to officially respond to the petition.
