©FAO/WTC/David Youngs

Challenges and opportunities for emerging markets and developing economies 

The 4th World Teak Conference will be held in Africa for the first time, from 5 to 8 September 2022 in Accra, Ghana. The conference is organized by the Forestry Commission of Ghana (FC) and the International Teak Information Network (TEAKNET) in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO) and the Teakwood Working Party of the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO). This year’s conference theme is Global Teak Market: Challenges and Opportunities for Emerging Markets and Developing Economies. Previous editions have taken place in Costa Rica (2011), Thailand (2013), and Ecuador (2015).

The World Teak Conference is expected to attract more than 300 participants worldwide, with previous conferences hosting attendees from up to 36 countries. Among them are various teak stakeholders including plantation managers, growers, investors, traders, scientists, researchers, teakwood processors, dealers of wood processing equipment, students, and multiple members of the private sector.

Teak is one of the most valuable tropical hardwoods in the world. More than 20 tropical countries ranked it as a priority species. Its large-scale cultivation has the potential to meet the rising demand for timber in the global market.

This conference will function as a unique opportunity to connect with professionals of the teak sector and act as a platform for stakeholder interactions, developing strategies and dissemination of new ideas. The conference will also allow for the strengthening of teak networks within and between regions.

In accordance with the theme of the conference, topics discussed at the five sessions will include smallholder teak plantations, value addition and livelihood enhancement of rural communities; cost-benefit analysis on teak investments and promoting responsible trade and markets of teakwood; tree improvement, genetics, silviculture and stand management; management models for community forestry and family farming; and environmental protection, biodiversity conservation and Forest and Landscape Restoration (FLR). The sessions will feature high-level speakers including officials from Ghana, the Chairman of the World Teak Conference, Professor Victor Kwame Agyeman, along with Dr John Parrotta, IUFRO President, Ms Sheam Satkuru, Executive Director of ITTO Japan, Mr Lars Graudal, Chairman of TEAKNET, Rahul Ahuja from Aron Global, James Roshetko from ICRAF Indonesia, Mr MA- Hwan Ok from ITTO Japan, Dr Suwan Tangmitcharoen, from the Royal Forest Department Thailand, Dr Ernest Foli, from FORIG Ghana, and Markku Kanninen, Professor (Rtd.) at the University of Helsinki, Finland.