Last updated on September 11th, 2021 at 03:32 pm
About six million rosewood trees have been cut down in Ghana for illegal export to China since 2012, an environmental group says.
The rare species, which takes 100 years to grow, is mostly used to make imperial-style furniture in China.
The report blames corrupt officials in Ghana for forging documents to allow the wood to leave the country.
Ghana’s information ministry has not yet responded to the comment.
The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) said in a report that the illegal trade and felling of rosewood trees has continued despite a ban being in place since 2012 and which has since been tightened.
Ghana and other West African countries are the victims of China’s insatiable and unchecked demand for rosewood, the EIA said.
