The Furniture and Wood Products Association of Ghana (FAWAG) has allayed fears that President John Mahama’s plan to ban wooden furniture in schools will hurt local producers, insisting the industry is well-positioned to adapt.
The reassurance comes on the heels of President Mahama’s World Environment Day announcement on June 5, where he revealed the government’s intention to phase out wooden school furniture in a bid to curb deforestation and promote environmental sustainability.
Speaking on Channel One Newsroom on Friday, June 6, FAWAG’s Administrative Assistant Christopher Dadzawa said the decision aligns with existing trends within the furniture industry.
“Not at all—it won’t affect local furniture producers. Before this announcement, metal furniture was already in the system,” Dadzawa said.
He revealed that FAWAG introduced metal furniture into school settings nearly two decades ago as part of a pilot project aimed at diversifying materials and extending product lifespan.
“I can say with all pride that about 20 years ago, my association introduced metal furniture to the government. We did a pilot programme about it 15 or 20 years ago.”
According to Dadzawa, many producers have already been working with metal for years and will simply shift production focus away from wood.
“We are only going to replace the wood with metal, which we are already doing. But this time, the focus is on school furniture.”
President Mahama’s proposed ban comes amid growing national and international concerns over deforestation, which continues to threaten Ghana’s biodiversity and climate resilience. Transitioning from wooden to metal furniture in public schools is seen as one of several practical steps toward reducing pressure on Ghana’s dwindling forest resources.
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