Ghana is well advanced in setting out a system for auditing forest practices in order to be able to demonstrate to consumers and environmentalists in a credible way that it is committed to best possible forest management.

By 1999 Ghana was able to establish principles, criteria and indicators for use to confirm acceptable forest management practices. These derived from Ghana's own National Standard for its forests. All steps to setting out a system of certification for Ghana's forests have been evolved with the involvement of relevant stakeholders. The system has to be devised to meet situations in Ghana but is compatible with the guidelines of the intergovernmental International Tropical Timber Organisation and other international and regional initiatives such as that of the interministerial African Timber Organisation.

Ghana's Principles for Certification
Principle One	Compliance with laws and regulations
Principle Two	Land tenure, stakeholder and resource rights
Principle Three	Conservation and maintenance of biological diversity
Principle Four	Rights and responsibilities of workers
Principle Five	Benefits from the forest: revenue generation and the equitable distribution of costs and benefits
Principle Six	Maintenance and enhancement of ecosystem productivity
Principle Seven	Forest management system

The criteria and indicators have been field tested by independent experts, and current work centres on two particular aspects. Firstly, identifying and funding an appropriate affordable locally based institution for administration, and secondly, on discussions with specific timber companies to undertake and evolve practical approaches to certification.

An important element is to be able to track timber from its source. Ghana already has a tried and tested numbering and inspection system, coupled with a very detailed statistical system for exports. Project work has been done using hand-held comp uters for instant data transmission.
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