Despite widespread evidence of large-scale charcoal production and trade across the five northern regions of Ghana, the Ghana Energy Commission has stated that it has not issued any licenses for charcoal exports in these areas over the past decade.

According to Frederick Ken Appiah, Deputy Director for Renewable Energy Regulation at the Energy Commission, “there is no export of charcoal from northern Ghana,” and “no licenses have been issued” for charcoal production in the northern regions. This statement was made in response to a Right to Information (RTI) request and confirmed in an official email response.

However, data from the Energy Commission itself, which lists companies licensed to produce and export charcoal from Ghana between 2013 and 2023, paints a contrasting picture.

Documented Trade in the North Contradicts Commission’s Denial

The Commission’s own 2021 report on national charcoal pricing cites Bolgatanga, Damongo, Tamale, and Wa as key production hubs in northern Ghana. The report, which surveyed 23 major charcoal marketing centres across the country, estimated that these towns collectively sell 500 bags of charcoal monthly for domestic consumption.

A more recent 2024 report echoes these findings, highlighting Walewale and Nalerigu in the Northeast Region as emerging centres of large-scale charcoal production and sales.

Before the 2024 report, however, the Daily Graphic in 2022 featured a detailed report on the thriving charcoal industry in Wulugu, the second-largest town in the North East Region. The story revealed that travellers frequently transport charcoal purchased from Wulugu across borders into Burkina Faso and other neighbouring countries.

A 2018 report estimating the national charcoal production in Ghana listed the Northern Region as the second highest producer of charcoal after the Brong Ahafo Region. While the Brong Ahafo Region produced 34 % of the national consumption, the Northern Region produced 27 %.

These revelations raise critical questions: if no licenses were granted, as the Commission claims, how is large-scale production and export of charcoal thriving in the northern regions, and who is regulating it?

Brong Ahafo emerges as the leading charcoal exporter amidst deepening deforestation

While northern Ghana is seeing a booming informal charcoal trade, official data shows that the Brong Ahafo Region holds the highest number of export licenses over the past ten years. Between 2013 and 2023, the Energy Commission licensed 7,604 tons of charcoal exports from Brong Ahafo. This figure represents almost one-third of the 24,512 tons of charcoal licensed for production exported from Ghana within the same period.

The Western Region ranks second with 6,020 tons, while Greater Accra trails far behind with only 610 tons, making it the region with the fewest licenses issued.

However, the environmental cost is far more severe in the Western Region, which has suffered the highest level of deforestation in the country.

Western Region Tops in Tree Cover Loss

According to Global Forest Watch, the Western Region has lost 432 thousand hectares (kha) of tree cover between 2001 and 2024—an area almost two times the size of the Greater Accra Region, equivalent to a 32 % decrease in tree cover since 2000. Within the same period, the entire country lost 1.75 Mha of tree cover, equivalent to a 25% decrease in tree cover since 2000.

Other affected regions which recorded tree cover loss from 2001 and 2024 include: Ashanti Region (411 kha lost), Eastern Region (246 kha), Central Region (227 kha). The 2024 figures represent an increase in deforestation across all the regions stated.

Charcoal and Firewood: Ghana’s Primary Energy Sources

The persistent demand for wood-based fuels is a major factor behind deforestation. Despite advances in modern energy solutions, charcoal and firewood remain the main sources of energy for most Ghanaians. A 2025 World Bank report reveals that 26 million out of the approximately 33 million Ghanaians rely on charcoal and firewood for cooking. That is a staggering 79 % of the country’s population using a type of fuel that contributes to both public health and environmental crises.

Calls for a Charcoal Export Ban

In response to the growing environmental threat, the Ghanaian government in 2021 considered a ban on charcoal exports, stating that the commodity had become a major driver of deforestation and forest degradation as it has become the raw material for the production of toothpaste and other commodities.

In 2021, then Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, acknowledged that the surge in charcoal demand was leading to indiscriminate tree felling and illegal logging. He indicated that a total ban would be considered once the link between charcoal trade and forest degradation was conclusively established. This remained an idea of the now-former minister and did not progress further.

Ghana risks losing its forests in charcoal-producing areas in two decades

The potential consequences of deforestation in Ghana are far-reaching, and Daryl Bosu, the deputy national director for Arocha Ghana, is concerned that the country is focused on the impact of illegal mining on our environment, while there is another disaster being driven by the world’s demand for wood fuel.

“An estimated 14.9 million tonnes of trees are felled annually for charcoal and firewood. At this pace, we risk losing forests in key charcoal-producing regions within two decades,” Mr Bosu laments.

“It will never be realistic and sustainable”, he said,“ to stop charcoal production when there is a gap in energy for cooking and some of these charcoal is even used by industrial establishment and …once there is that gap, you’d have to contend with the fact that charcoal production will continue.” Mr Bosu recommends a “national robust system and mechanism, like setting boundaries for trees to be felled, to produce charcoal without leading to the degradation that we see associated with the current practise.”

Mr Bosu said the discrepancy in the Energy Commission data and the reality on the ground highlights a deeper issue: the lack of regulation, compliance, and oversight in Ghana’s charcoal industry, which not only drives deforestation but also raises questions about transparency and environmental governance.

A follow-up emailed question to the Energy Commission on the discrepancies in the export data and our findings did not receive a response.

-

The project received support from the Thomson Reuters Foundation as part of its global efforts to strengthen free, fair, and informed societies. Any financial assistance or support provided to the journalist has no editorial influence. The content of this article belongs solely to the author and is not endorsed by or associated with the Thomson Reuters Foundation, Thomson Reuters, Reuters, or any other affiliates.