By Issah Mohammed. GNA
Accra, May 22, GNA – Ghana has 447 active Social Responsibility Agreements (SRA) for timber valued at GHS 4.52 million across the country as of May 2026, an official of the Ghana Forestry Commission (FC) has said.
Mr Bright Owusu Sekyere, Manager Systems and Data Reconciliation at the Timber Validation Department, made this known at a project inception workshop for Agence Française de Développement (AFD) FC SRA project that sought to enhance the SRA implementation in Ghana.
SRAs are mechanisms put in place to ensure that forest fringe communities benefit directly from timber harvesting activities to support community development projects.
SRAs which is five per cent of stumpage fees, remains the only direct financial benefit from timber logging that goes collectively to affected communities.
In an interview, Mr Sekyere explained that the commission has the responsibility of ensuring that SRAs are signed before forestry companies are granted license to operate.
He noted that companies who flout the requirement could have their licenses revoked.
“As a government agency, we are supposed to ensure that the SRA is signed. So we witness the signing of the SRA and ensure that there is compliance. So after signing, we must ensure that the companies are paying what is due to the communities,” he said.
In December 2017, Legislative Instrument (LI) 2254 was enacted to provide the legal backing for the implementation and enforcement of SRAs.
The implementation of SRAs involves multiple stakeholders, including the Forestry Commission, timber companies, traditional authorities, SRA Committees, and beneficiary communities.
SRAs also form part of Ghana’s Timber Legality Assurance System (GhLAS) under the FLEGT/VPA framework, where compliance with applicable SRAs is a key verification requirement for issuance of FLEGT licence.
The AFD – FC SRA project is valued at about 300,000 euros and funded under the EU FLEGT VPA programme.
Implementing partners of the project include Civic Response and Rights and Advocacy Initiatives Network (RAIN), both civil society group; DEVNEST Systems, an IT systems firm and the FC, the sector regulator.
Sharing details of the one-year AFD – FC SRA project, Mr Albert Katako, Head of Programmes, Civic Response, said the project has specific objectives that included training FC officials and Timber contractors on the legal and operational requirements for SRA implementation; and promoting collaboration among stakeholders to monitor, report, and resolve grievances related to SRA non-compliance
The project, he also noted, sought to support SRA Committees to understand their mandate, improve their capacity for community engagement, and enhance transparency and accountability in the utilization of SRA resources.
“We intend to identify gaps and provide recommendations to strengthen the institutional framework and stakeholder coordination for effective SRA enforcement,” he said.
GNA
Reporter: Issah Mohammed, GNA
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