07.05.2026
For the first time in its history, a Ghanaian official trade delegation is stepping onto the floor of the Carrefour International du Bois. Behind this event lies a pivotal moment for the global legal tropical timber trade, the start of FLEGT Licensing by Ghana in 2025.
8 October 2025 will be remembered as a landmark date in the history of tropical timber trade. On that day, Ghana became the first country in Africa — and only the second in the world after Indonesia — to issue FLEGT licences. The culmination of more than sixteen years of partnership, institutional reforms and on-the-ground work carried out under the EU Ghana FLEGT VPA. And it is precisely this historic achievement that CIB 2026 will place in the spotlight.
Ghanaian presence at ATIBT’s booth
Ghana wood delegation’s commercial presence at the fair will be marked through a Ghana Corner integrated into the ATIBT stand (Hall XXL). The industry representation includes:
A Forum at the heart of the fair: 2 June, 14:00–16:00 | BIZ Matching with cocktail: 16:00-18:30 | Canopée 1
The centrepiece of this presence will be the EU–Ghana Timber Trade and Investment Forum, on Tuesday 2 June from 14:00 to 16:00 in the Canopée 1 room. 2 hours of substantive programming, the forum will address the key issues facing the Ghanaian timber sector on the European market, and dialogue on the future of collaboration between EU and Ghana forest-based industries.
Participants will hear an update on the European tropical timber market — demand trends, EUDR and CITES requirements, and the prospects for FLEGT-licensed timber — presented by the European timber import sector and Ghana Forestry Commission (GFC), will then take the floor to review the first operational year of FLEGT licensing, covering lesser-known timber species (LKTS), industry trends and ongoing innovations.
A panel moderated by FAO will explore concrete EU–Ghana collaboration opportunities in forest plantation development: implementation of the Ghana Plantation Strategy 2016–2040, smart forestry technologies, presented by one of the leading companies in the field, AFRY , and potential partnerships between Ghanaian and European actors. This will be followed by mini-pitches from Ghanian wood delegation before an open Q&A roundtable and a facilitated B2B matchmaking session with cocktail.
100% legal, traceable and EUDR-compliant timber
This forum is not just another protocol event. It represents a concrete commercial opportunity for European importers and distributors seeking to secure their supply chains in the face of growing requirements under the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). Ghanaian FLEGT licences constitute a presumption of EUDR compliance: they attest that the timber is legal, traceable from forest to port, and sourced from forests managed in accordance with national law. For European buyers, this is a rare and valuable guarantee in an increasingly constrained market environment.
The EU currently represents Ghana's largest export market for value-added wood products, with nearly €26 million in trade in 2024. Teak, LKTS and other high-potential Ghanaian species will be showcased throughout the conference and at the Ghana Corner across all three days of the fair.
See you at the Ghana Corner, Hall XXL- I27
Between conference sessions, the Ghana Corner on the ATIBT stand I27 (Hall XXL) will be the central meeting point to discover the delegation's species, products and companies. Brochures, samples, video presentations and the Ghana delegation and ATIBT team on site: everything will be in place to facilitate exchanges and first contacts.
CIB 2026 will thus be, for Ghana, far more than a trade fair appearance. It will be a major demonstration, on the European commercial stage, that FLEGT licensing translates into real market opportunities — and that the journey made since 2010 under the FLEGT VPA deserves to be known, and rewarded with contracts.
ATIBT thanks EU FLEGT VPA Program for their trust in this mandate, AFD, EticWood, FAO and Probos for their collaboration and Ghana Forestry Commission, European Commission DG INTPA and EU Delegation for their continued support.
EU VPA FLEGT Program is funded by European Commission DG INTPA and implemented by AFD, with technical coordination by EticWood/Nature+ and FAO Africa and Latin America FLEGT Facility
