Ghana signs MOU with China for assistance in developing forest resources

China National Electronics Import & Export Corporation (CEIEC) and the Forestry Commission of Ghana recently came to an agreement and signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to strengthen their cooperation in forest resource development.

A Ghana-China forestry cooperation project will be launched, which will see the two parties teaming up to develop a forestry park, helping Ghana achieve better returns from its forest resources, according to the MOU.

Liu Zhirong, vice president of CEIEC who signed on behalf of his company, told Xinhua that the cooperation will help Ghana utilize forest resources to benefit citizens in various ways.

Ghana’s forest resource management has long been criticized for focusing on short-term economic value, beset by problems such as the lack of sustainable development, unplanned logging, illegal logging, and lack of technology and equipment for timber production and processing. The project seeks to resolve these problems by building an internationally advanced industrial cluster and creating a strong industrial agglomeration effect to promote industry upgrading.

“The actual expectation from CEIEC lies in one sentence: to assist FC (Forestry Commission) and the Ghanaian government in using its affluent forest resources to benefit the people and country,” Liu said.

“I can tell you I have travelled the length and breadth of the world but the Chinese are the best in terms of wood processing and things that we can do with wood in its processing,” Kwadwo Owusu-Afriyie, CEO of the Forestry Commission of Ghana opined.

The CEO added that the project would be a long-term one with the aim of holistic development of the forestry sector for greater job creation and revenue for the western African country.