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Government Urged To Back Gabon’s Timber Industry

Government Urged To Back Gabon’s Timber Industry

While Gabon’s tropical forestry and timber industry is vital for the country’s GDP growth, the sector continues to struggle to gain market demand.

“The forest industry is the second-biggest employer in Central Africa after the public sector so it’s a lot of jobs especially in remote areas. It’s very important for the rural development of the region,” ATIBT general director Ralph Ridder told CNBC Africa.

One of Gabon’s biggest challenges is accessing markets that pay well for tropical timber, as it has been linked to corruption, deforestation and climate destruction.

“There’s a market access issue in the regional or inter-African markets. Market access is basically blocked because of administrative issues,” Ridder added.

Another issue for Gabon is timber processing. “Countries with vast forestry seek to export logs and locally processed timber as a means of increasing national revenue,” reports CNBC Africa.

“The government has issues in preparing the framework conditions for attracting this investment. The third thing is responsible management. Today, about 70 per cent of the forest is managed illegally,” Ridder explained.

“There’s only a bit less than 30 percent of the timber that is harvested according to reasonable standards and that of course is an issue.”

In order for these challenges to be tackled, the government must help find a solution.

“The problem is that we need to really change the image of tropical timber in the marketplace, in the sensitive markets like Europe and the US. Today, if you talk about tropical timber, typically people take two steps back and don’t buy. Changing that requires a lot of effort,” said Ridder.