Marine Leblanc IFIA/ATIBT Forest Governance Forum, Accra 7th-8th june 2011 FLEGT/VPA process and the development of opportunities for a wood inter-regional market Intra-African trade opportunities

Marine Leblanc IFIA/ATIBT Forest Governance Forum, Accra 7th-8th june 2011 Presentation plan Current intra-african legal wood trade situation FLEGT/VPA process progress in Central and West Africa VPA and the issue of trade between Congo Basin and Ghana Working for the African timber market development

Marine Leblanc IFIA/ATIBT Forest Governance Forum, Accra 7th-8th june 2011 Current intra-african legal wood flows According to European Commission/FAO/ITTO studies and ATIBT statistics: –Important transboundary wood flows in Africa –Few legal wood flows exist between Central and West Africa

Marine Leblanc IFIA/ATIBT Forest Governance Forum, Accra 7th-8th june 2011 FLEGT/VPA process progress in Central and West Africa 09/05/2011 Targeted country Government letter of intent NegociationsVPA initiated Agreement signature Agreement ratification Licenses issued 2014

Marine Leblanc IFIA/ATIBT Forest Governance Forum, Accra 7th-8th june 2011 VPA and the issue of trade between Congo Basin and Ghana (1) VPA implementation : Ghana is the leader VPA agreed in Africa for :Congo, Cameroon, CAR and Liberia –The agreement concerns domestic market as well (except CAR) Ghana will need to secure its sources of legal wood since –natural forest ressources are highly degraded –artificial forest resources are not sufficient –VPA concerns its domestic market too  Will the Congo Basin countries be able to provide legal wood?  When ?

Marine Leblanc IFIA/ATIBT Forest Governance Forum, Accra 7th-8th june 2011 Possibility of a regional market between Central Africa and Ghana if: –Congo Basin countries keep on progressing with the VPA negociations and implementation –Stake holders work together to Develop market opportunities (and wood processing) Mitigate the main constraints  IFIA’s workshops VPA and the issue of trade between Congo Basin and Ghana (2)

Marine Leblanc IFIA/ATIBT Forest Governance Forum, Accra 7th-8th june 2011 Working for the African timber market development (1) Following Racewood 2010 (22 & 23 march, Douala) – All the stake holders agreed on the need for Congo Basin to develop wood processing and its local + inter-regional markets – ATIBT/IFIA has joined ITTO and FAO for creating a public-private dialogue (administratives and private sector) to focus on African timber market & wood processing development  organization of workshops: Yaounde (21-22 September 2010), Brazzaville (22-23 March 2011) and Kinshasa (19-20 May 2011)  To write the « white book of the regional timber market & wood processing in the Congo Basin countries» agreed by all the stakeholders

Marine Leblanc IFIA/ATIBT Forest Governance Forum, Accra 7th-8th june 2011 Working for the African timber market development (2) Workshops stressed on: – tricky and cumbersome custom regulations imposed to formal trade; – bad infrastructures – bad energy supply – illegality is also a hindering factor; – fiscality For more information :  As a conclusion, Flegt by itself is not enough and should be reinforced by a policy (The workshop in Libreville will take place June 14th and 15th)

Marine Leblanc IFIA/ATIBT Forest Governance Forum, Accra 7th-8th june 2011 Working for the African timber market development (3) A major event for African wood industries : – Racewood 2011 (29 & 30 September, Pointe Noire, Congo Brazzaville) – Fourth meeting of a project supported by European Commission and Pro€invest « If represented the growing of responsable certification for the private sector, the 5 following years will be the advanced tropical wood processing and local & regional markets development »  Meeting suppliers, importers, prescribers, experts, donors to catch opportunities and understand future tropical forest challenges to get prepared… A unique opportunity for African tropical timber sector

Marine Leblanc IFIA/ATIBT Forest Governance Forum, Accra 7th-8th june 2011 Working for the African timber market development (4) Racewood 2011 is a 2 day program with among others : –3 thematic workshops with the best experts on : Processing (market, requirements and opportunities, the White Book,tropical wood market studies presentation) Legality and certification (FLEGT progress, Lacey Act, Europe and Africa points of view) Concession of the future? (REDD+, an other job for foresters?) –But also : Technical sessions, « B to B » meetings The White book on timber processing (1 st part) Wood houses show

Marine Leblanc IFIA/ATIBT Forest Governance Forum, Accra 7th-8th june Suscribe at Do not miss it ! Working for the African timber market development (5)

Marine Leblanc IFIA/ATIBT Forest Governance Forum, Accra 7th-8th june 2011 Thank you for your kind attention

Marine Leblanc IFIA/ATIBT Forest Governance Forum, Accra 7th-8th june References ATIBT, La lettre de l’ATIBT, statistiques N°32 European Commission, Cross-border Trade of Timber et Wood Products in West Africa. Final report. European Commission, Brussels, Belgium ITTO, Conférence internationale sur la promotion du commerce intra- africain des bois et produits bois. Accra, Ghana ITTO, Série technique de l’OIBT. Bonne entente entre voisin, promouvoir les marchés intra-africains du bois et des produits bois. N°35 ITTO, Tropical timber market report, May 2011