The Energy Commission has emphasized the crucial role of the charcoal conveyance levy in promoting sustainability within Ghana’s charcoal industry.
The Levy collected by the Forestry Commission during the transportation of charcoal is part of a broader strategy to mitigate the environmental impact of commercial charcoal production.
John Yeboah, Senior Manager for Renewable Energy Regulations at the Energy Commission, noted that the funds generated from the levy are directed toward nationwide afforestation and reforestation initiatives aimed at restoring degraded lands and ensuring long-term resource sustainability.
He said, “At the moment, the Forestry Commission takes a charcoal conveyance levy. So all the charcoal that you see that has been loaded in trucks and other vehicles coming from the charcoal-producing areas at any point in time will get to Forestry Commission inspection. You know, the Forestry Commission, they’ve got these offices in all the districts in the country.”
“So they take a charcoal conveyance levy from the businessperson, and then they use that conveyance levy that they are collecting (0:28) to undertake afforestation. So that is on the broader front. That’s how we see that they’re trying to make tree growing, tree planting, and afforestation sustainable.”
