Civic Response

08/06/2026

Figures taken directly from the Social Responsibility Agreement (SRA) portal, which tracks amounts due to communities against what has actually been paid indicate that forest communities across Ghana received only GH¢4.8 million out of GH¢6.8 billion in Social Responsibility Agreement (SRA) payments due them between 2020 and 2025, with no explanation yet provided for the huge gap recorded on the country’s timber tracking portal.

This came to light during a recent inception workshop of the Support for the implementation of Social Responsibility Agreements (SRA) in Ghana’s forestry sector - Enhancing SRA Implementation in Ghana project.

The project is being implemented by Civic Response, in partnership with Rights and Advocacy Initiatives Network (RAIN) and the Forestry Commission of Ghana. And funded by AFD - Agence Française de Développement under the EU-FLEGT VPA programme.



Forestry Commission Ghana Rights & Advocacy Initiatives Network EcoCare Ghana Kasa Initiative Ghana Forest Watch Ghana A Rocha Ghana Nature & Development Foundation Friends of the Earth Ghana Wacam Youth and Nature Development Organization Tropenbos Ghana

Forest communities across Ghana received only GH¢4.8 million out of GH¢6.8 billion in Social Responsibility Agreement (SRA) payments due them between 2020 and 2025, with no explanation yet provided for the huge gap recorded on the country’s timber tracking portal, the Head of Programmes at Civic...

28/05/2026

Enhancing SRA enforcement in Ghana: Civic Response set to train Community SRA committees, Forest Services Division staff and selected timber companies.

Civic Response, in partnership with Rights and Advocacy Initiatives Network (RAIN) and the Forestry Commission of Ghana, is implementing the Support for the implementation of Social Responsibility Agreements (SRA) in Ghana’s forestry sector - Enhancing SRA Implementation in Ghana Project.

The project seeks to enhance the effective implementation, monitoring, and transparency of Social Responsibility Agreements (SRA) within Ghana’s forest sector in line with the requirements of the Ghana-EU Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade Voluntary Partnership Agreement (FLEGT-VPA) and the Ghana Legality Assurance System (GhLAS), and to improve the understanding, compliance, and transparency in the negotiation, ex*****on, and monitoring of SRAs.

Under the project, 280 Forestry Commission Regional and District Managers and 20 staff from 20 selected timber companies will be trained to comply with the policy, legal, and operational requirements for SRA implementation. One hundred and forty-two (142) Community SRA Committees will also receive training in transparency and accountability in the use of community funds.

The SRA platform was developed by Devnest Systems.

The project is funded by Agence Française de Développement (AFD) under the EU-FLEGT VPA programme.

Here are pictures from the inception workshop held last week to formally introduce the project to stakeholders.



Rights & Advocacy Initiatives Network Forestry Commission Ghana Forest Watch Ghana EcoCare Ghana Nature & Development Foundation Friends of the Earth Ghana AFD - Agence Française de Développement Devnest Systems Limited

26/05/2026

Is it time to review the Social Responsibility Agreement (SRA) percentage? Forest Fringe communities call for an increase in SRA percentage.

There are growing calls for the Forestry Commission (FC) of Ghana to increase the Social Responsibility Agreement paid to forest fringe communities from the current 5% to 20%.

This came to light during Civic Responses’ recent visits, in February and March 2026, to 62 selected forest-fringed communities across 12 forest districts in six (6) regions of Ghana. The regions are Western North, Western, Eastern, Ashanti, Bono and Ahafo.

The community engagements form part of the Akofena project- a UK Forest Governance, Markets and Climate (FGMC) Programme- which seeks to strengthen civil society participation, community engagement, and government accountability in Ghana and Liberia’s forest governance systems.

Interactions with community members during open forums revealed that a number of these communities are no longer satisfied with the 5% SRA they received. They lamented that the amount involved is too small to undertake community infrastructural development at a pace and scale they desire.

Legally, communities within a 5-kilometre radius of forests where logging is taking place are entitled to receive 5% of stumpage fees paid by timber companies to the FC as SRA. The SRA is to provide financial incentives to forest-fringed communities (whether settler communities or indigenes) to protect the forest resources around them.



EcoCare Ghana Rights & Advocacy Initiatives Network Nature & Development Foundation

There are growing calls for the Forestry Commission (FC) of Ghana to increase the Social Responsibility Agreement paid to forest fringe communities from the current 5% to 20%. This came to light during Civic Responses’ recent visits, in February and March 2026, to 62 selected forest-fringed commun...

22/05/2026

On this Biodiversity Day, we celebrate all our community forest monitors who are taking action to protect our forests. And we call on all stakeholders to take action to protect and conserve biodiversity locally for global impact.



EcoCare Ghana Forest Watch Ghana Kasa Initiative Ghana Nature & Development Foundation A Rocha Ghana

14/05/2026

Imagine a world without trees or forests

The loss of every single tree, without proper safeguards, is not just environmental damage but also a threat to life and to future generations. This is why strengthening forest monitoring is key to sustainable forest governance.

Through the “Akofena Project,” which seeks to strengthen civil society participation, community engagement, and government accountability in Ghana and Liberia’s forest governance systems, Civic Response engaged 63 forest fringe communities across 12 forest districts (Sefwi Wiawso, Juaboso, Enchi, Asankragua, Oda, Kade, Dormaa, Goaso, Bekwai, New Edubiase, Kumawu, and Juaso) within Timber Utilisation Contract (TUC) areas in Ghana, promoting citizen action in forest governance.

These community engagements created platforms for stakeholder dialogue to promote independent forest monitoring, accountability, and sustainable forest management. As part of the process, community forest monitors were selected for further capacity building, and Social Responsibility Agreement (SRA) committees were formed to strengthen community-led monitoring and address illegal logging and other forest infractions.

Through collaboration and active citizen action, communities are being empowered to safeguard Ghana’s forest resources for present and future generations.

Together, we are promoting citizen action and empowering communities to protect Ghana’s forests for present and future generations.

The Akofena Project is supported by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, under the Forest Governance, Markets and Climate Programme (FGMC).



EcoCare Ghana Fern

07/05/2026

28/04/2026

This is why Amantena communities in Ghana rejected mining and chose clean water and agriculture.

In November 2025, communities in and around Amantena, including Dawereso, Behwe and Nyinamponase, all in the Asante Akim North District of the Asanti Region, rejected a planned initiative by the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and the Minerals Commission of Ghana to establish a cooperative mining scheme in the area.

During a recent visit to the area as part of the , Civic Response spoke to Emmanuel Agyekum, a resident of Dawereso, who told us why the youth took this action.

Watch this video to find out why the youth of the area strongly opposed and protested the mining initiative, leading to the suspension of the 45-year concession project.



EcoCare Ghana Forest Watch Ghana Tropenbos Ghana Kasa Initiative Ghana A Rocha Ghana Nature & Development Foundation Wacam -Conscious Citizens

14/04/2026

At a recent meeting held in Accra to validate a CSOs' position paper on mining, Civil Society Organisations admitted that current approaches to end illegal mining in Ghana have not yielded the desired results. It is time to adopt new approaches in the fight against galamsey



Kasa Initiative Ghana Forest Watch Ghana for Social Impact Studies -Conscious Citizens

08/04/2026

Stakeholders, recently, met in Accra to validate findings of a report by Taylor Crabbe analysing various sectorial policies and laws in mining, forest, agriculture and climate to identify gaps, contradictions and challenges that promote deforestation. The study concludes that harmonization of laws, clear land use policies, and strengthening institutional coordination are critical to reducing deforestation and ensuring sustainable forest management.




Forestry Commission Ghana Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources-Ghana EPA Ghana Kasa Initiative Ghana Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry of Food and Agriculture Ghana Forest Watch Ghana

06/03/2026

🇬🇭Happy 69th Independence Day Ghana 🇬🇭! May we be great!