with the V]1::A“Any country that considers the European Union to be a major trading partner has to take[the VPAlseriously,”he says.
Some Ghanaian experts fear the VPA might have unintended
and detrimental consequences on the domestic economy.In a country plagued by power outages,people rely on cheap,illegal timber for firewood and charcoa1.Poverty-stricken areas also depend on the illegal timber industry for jobs,and there is concern about the unemployment that closure of 加egalsawmi11s would cause.0ther experts believe that the( 31 ).Widespread violation of existing timber laws suggests little may change,they say,particularly in view of the current growth in non-European Union markets like China,which provide profitable and unregulated outlets for the加egaltrade.However,as the European Union still accounts for almost half of Ghana's exports, environmentally concerned people hope that the V])A will slow illegal exports enough to make sustainable forests more than a dream in Ghana.