1 July 2026
Building deforestation-free supply chains in West and Central Africa through the BRIDGE Programme
Validation workshop for FGMC -BRIDGE (Building Recognition and Integration for Deforestation Governance and Equity) programme held in Accra, Ghana.
Proforest Africa convened government, civil society and private sector stakeholders in Accra to explore how market requirements, corporate commitments and national priorities can align to support practical, inclusive and deforestation-free supply chains for cocoa, timber and oil palm. Through the FGMC-funded BRIDGE Programme, Proforest is helping connect demand-side deforestation regulations with producer-country realities in Ghana, Cameroon and Liberia.
As global markets introduce stronger requirements for deforestation-free products, producer countries are working to translate international expectations into effective action on the ground. In Ghana, this means addressing complex realities across cocoa, timber and oil palm supply chains, including traceability, land tenure, smallholder inclusion and local governance.
Connecting local action with global market expectations
BRIDGE supports more coherent links between supply-side action, such as national policies, local governance systems and producer-led solutions, and demand-side expectations, including supply chain regulation, market standards and corporate sustainability commitments. This approach helps build the partnerships, investment, data systems and scalable tools needed to reduce deforestation, protect biodiversity, support livelihoods and cut climate emissions.
As part of the process, Proforest, working with Taylor Crabbe Firm, reviewed 46 legal, voluntary and sector-led initiatives across cocoa, timber and oil palm. The validation workshop enabled stakeholders to assess these initiatives, identify gaps in a fragmented landscape and prioritise three sector-specific options for further piloting and scaling in Ghana.
Sector priorities for deforestation-free production
For cocoa, stakeholders highlighted the value of REDD+ and Ghana’s Cocoa Management System in improving traceability, strengthening multi-stakeholder engagement and supporting readiness for deforestation-free market requirements. While land tenure challenges remain, these initiatives provide important building blocks for reducing deforestation risks in cocoa supply chains.
For timber, participants pointed to the FLEGT Voluntary Partnership Agreement as an example of a strong multi-stakeholder process for improving forest governance. They also noted the importance of district-level REDD+ implementation and Community Resource Management Areas, which can strengthen local ownership, forest protection and restoration.
For oil palm, stakeholders observed that sustainability initiatives are less visible across the value chain and that smallholders often face high costs and limited incentives to participate in voluntary standards. Strengthening multi-stakeholder platforms like the Africa Sustainable Commodities Initiative (ASCI), engaging key sector institutions and mainstreaming practical standards were identified as important steps towards inclusive, deforestation-free production.
The workshop reinforced a clear message for global supply chains: deforestation regulations and market requirements can play a powerful role in tackling forest loss, but only when they are shaped through meaningful engagement with producer-country actors and grounded in local realities. By helping governments, companies and civil society align around shared priorities, the BRIDGE Programme is supporting practical and collaborative pathways to deforestation-free production, responsible sourcing and sustainable trade.
