Understanding the teak timber value chain in the Bono Region of Ghana: analysis and policy implications

PurposeForest products’ value chain, including teak timber products drive socioeconomic growth and offers sustainable livelihoods, jobs and income generation for many people. However, despite the growing awareness of the teak timber value chain, there are limited in-depth empirical studies. This article therefore analyses the teak timber products value chain in the Bono Region of Ghana to enhance understanding and contribute to policymaking.Design/methodology/approachUsing a case study research design, a simple multi-stage and snowball sampling procedures were adopted to collect primary data on the teak products value chain from the various actors. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected via a questionnaire and key informant interviews. Descriptive statistics and standard deviations were used for the analysis.FindingsFindings from the study revealed that the success of the teak value chain is centred on the actors’ long-term experiences in the industry, their ability to mobilise capital or funds to establish a teak timber business and easy access to lands by smallholder farmers through family and government initiatives for teak plantation development. On the constraints and challenges impacting the teak value chain, lack of financial and credit facilities, high transportation and logistics (fuel) costs, high transaction cost of undertaking teak timber business, lack of marketing and sales information and lack of human capital were identified.Practical implicationsGenerally, the marketing interventions for improving the teak value chain, provision of long-term financial support by the government, multilateral development banks, institutional investors and provision of adequate legislation, regulations and policies and adoption of voluntary forest certification schemes were recognised as marketing tools for enriching the value chain. Efforts should be made to empower the teak processing and marketing companies within the teak industry in order to manufacture finished products from raw teak timber products.Originality/valueThe study explored the existing value chain of teak and teak products in Ghana by identifying activities and linkages, and to examine the constraints and challenges, thus providing a new empirical understanding of this specific sector. This context-specific analysis contributes to a more nuanced understanding compared to broader overviews.