Operating sustainably managed teak plantations, Form Ghana’s strong emphasis on creating conditions enabling smallholder farmers to establish long-term cashew plantations intercropped with cash crops is supporting livelihoods and restoring ecosystems.
In the heart of Ghana’s Bono Region, within the Tain II Forest Reserve in the greater Berekum Municipal area, Form Ghana Limited is demonstrating how commercial forestry and community partnerships development can grow side by side. Before Form Ghana’s Integrated Community Fire Management Programme (ICFMP) initiative, long-term crops and economic stability for rural communities were impossible.
Supporting farmers
At the centre of Form Ghana’s community engagement is direct support to 747 farmers, 29% of whom are women. These farmers come from 15 communities, including fringe communities, five admitted farms within the reserve framework, and off-reserve farmers managing their own lands.
The focus has been on improving productivity, market access, and sustainability, especially through the cultivation of cashew trees, a key livelihood resource in the region. Smallholder farmers constitute most of the cashew producers and processors in Ghana, and strengthening this value chain has proven transformative.
Alleviating poverty
Through targeted support, including training, seedlings, extension guidance, and improved access, farmers are experiencing measurable increases in cashew production income. Form Ghana’s direct support of the farmers has created indirect employment for about 200 people across plant nurseries, plantations, crop maintenance, fire management, and road building and maintenance.
Feedback received during regular meetings between Form Ghana’s ESG Officers, community leaders and farmers indicates that the profit from the long-term crop is creating a positive trickle-down effect, improving overall standards of living among participating farming households, such as
Food and nutrition
Beyond income generation, Form Ghana and agronomists advise farmers on how the cashew trees’ organic matter improves soil nutrients. It creates favourable conditions and increases the yield of intercropped staple foods such as maize, soya beans and yams.
Researchers say these food crops are particularly cost-effective when intercropped with cashew, helping households meet their daily sustenance needs while building financial resilience.
Infrastructure
Infrastructure investment has strengthened economic inclusion. To enable farmers to transport their produce efficiently, Form Ghana constructed a bridge and over 591 kilometres of roads within the Tain II Forest Reserve and surrounding communities.
These roads improve access to health, education, and markets and serve the wider public. Importantly, they also serve as firebreaks, helping protect crops and livelihoods.
Community partnerships
Summers are hot and dry, and the harmattan (strong hot winds blowing from the Sahara Desert in the north) creates perfect conditions for runaway wildfires. A lack of understanding of controlled burns, fire behaviour, and firefighting was a constant risk to all rural communities.
Through the ICFMP partnership with communities and farmers, the Fire Danger Index was introduced, and local fire volunteer squads are trained annually in firefighting and suppression techniques and equipped with basic firefighting tools. Stakeholders' feedback and Form Ghana’s high-tech fire management system confirm that there have been nearly 80% fewer wildfire outbreaks across the 6,154 hectares within the Tain II Forest Reserve. This incredible achievement is a win-win situation for everyone.
Restoring biodiversity
Form Ghana’s work extends beyond teak cultivation, the national Green Ghana and Trees for Life reforestation projects and community social responsibilities. Since 2019, the company has deliberately selected and planted indigenous species that historically formed part of the local Eastern Guinean Lowland Forest ecosystem, including:
Many of these species produce edible fruits, which support local livelihoods and attract wildlife. Wildlife plays a crucial ecological role as a seed dispersal agent, accelerating natural regeneration and strengthening biodiversity recovery.
In the last seven years, Form Ghana has been directly involved with supplying seedlings and support to farmers and communities to establish :
During this same time an estimated 3,500 additional acres have been planted with tree crops within the greater Berekum Municipal area, due to the enabling environment created by Form Ghana’s proactive actions.
Additionally, seedlings were planted and successfully established at the Freeman Methodist Primary A School, Freeman Methodist Primary B School, and the Mpatapo M/A Primary School.
Form Ghana cares
Since 2019, Form Ghana has directly supported close to 750 farmers, strengthened cashew-based intercropping systems, reduced wildfire outbreaks, restored indigenous biodiversity, improved road access, and created employment opportunities.
Form Ghana’s commitment to sustainable plantation forestry is a catalyst for rural economic development and restoring biodiversity.
The Elders and Community Leaders of the Domeabra and Ampemkrom Communities are pleased to announce that they have each signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Form Ghana, under which the company commits to rehabilitating, building, and maintaining certain roads.
Form Ghana is a 19-year-old Ghanaian teak forestry company specialising in rehabilitating degraded forestry reserves and striving to establish and maintain a culture of transparency, trust and safety with all its stakeholders.
Willem Fourie, the CEO of Form Ghana, emphasises that although its first obligation is to its staff, no rural company can operate without strong social relationships and direct communication channels with its fringe communities.
Form Ghana’s Social and Environmental Department regularly visits fringe communities and conducts annual social surveys.
The Domeabra and Ampemkrom communities rely on income from cultivating and trading crops to support their livelihoods. Like agriculturists worldwide, the farmers near the Tain II Forest Reserve must manage diseases and pests that damage their crops. But their greater challenges are access to markets, healthcare and education, and the risks of wildfires and floods.
The Elders and Community Leaders of both villages believe that the only way to address the access problem is to have well-maintained roads, and each decided to approach Form Ghana for assistance.
The Chief of Domeabra, Nana Ansu Adoma, the Elders, and community representatives formally appealed to Form Ghana to assist with rehabilitating and maintaining their community road. The road is an important lifeline for the village, serves as a firebreak, and provides access for firefighters.
They signed an MOU with the company under which Form Ghana will grade a new road from Akrofro through the Domeabra community toward the Tain II Forest Reserve. The MOU was read out in Akan and English, and everyone agreed they understood it.
At the signing of the MOU at the Domeabra Community Palace on 27 January 2026, the Chief of Domeabra, Nana Ansu Adoma, commended Form Ghana for its unwavering support for firefighting and road rehabilitation and for its prompt response to development requests. He affirmed the community's support for Form Ghana operations.
There is no road from Ampemkrom to its farming areas, making it difficult for farmers to harvest and transport their crops to the village and to markets in larger towns before they spoil. Their only access is a narrow footpath so degraded that neither a small motorbike nor a bicycle can safely use it during the rainy season.
During community meetings and the annual social survey, the Ampemkrom Chief, Nana Kojo Yeboah, and Community Leaders formally requested that Form Ghana consider constructing a road for the community. Form Ghana agreed to assist them.
The MOU states that Form Ghana will build and maintain a new six-kilometre road towards the Tain II reserve, and was signed by the Chief of Ampemkrom. It was witnessed by Berekum Dabe-Hene, Nana Oppong Boateng Dartey II and community representatives on 6 February 2026. The agreement was read in Akan, and it was confirmed that everyone understood it.
Form Ghana participated in the traditional rituals at the Domeabra and Ampemkrom road sites. The purpose was to inform the ancestors and the spirits of the land about the project, ensure the safety of the workers, and appease the local deities. Their rituals also appease the ancestors, allowing unrestricted access for farmers and other road users, particularly for crossing the four streams, which hold particular traditional importance.
The Elders poured Schnapps before and after chickens and white sheep were sacrificed, and their blood washed the ground at the construction site.
Willem Fourie says the MOU represents a significant step toward sustainable road infrastructure development through partnerships rooted in social responsibility and transparency. Its successful implementation will deliver long-term socio-economic benefits for the Ampemkrom and Domeabra Communities and Form Ghana.
Form Ghana has begun reconstructing a collapsed culvert on Kotaa’s busy main access road, restoring a vital connection between the town, surrounding farms, and the municipal capital of Berekum.
The culvert's collapse had created significant hardship for the rural community. When the Kotaa community reached out to Form Ghana for assistance, the company responded by taking on the reconstruction project.
This initiative reflects Form Ghana's commitment to the communities around its operations, recognising that reliable infrastructure is fundamental to their prosperity.
Before reconstruction commenced, Form Ghana assessed the damage and planned the best way to build a more durable culvert, making the road safer now and during the rainy season.
When the culvert is restored, it is expected to boost local trade and improve mobility and access to amenities and markets. By investing in this essential infrastructure, Form Ghana demonstrates its support for local development through impactful social responsibility initiatives that directly improve livelihoods and promote socio-economic growth in its fringe communities.
Form Ghana, a plantation forestry company specialising in restoring natural biodiversity in deforested forestry reserves in Ghana, is known for its unique approach to developing its employees and empowering fringe communities.
"Form Ghana was established in 2007, and from the beginning we have invested in building a sustainable company championing environmental and social responsibilities delivered by capable people working in a culture of safety and accountability", explains the CEO, Willem Fourie.
"Through our staff development, mentoring and succession planning programmes, we provide opportunities for career development," he says.
"I am proud to announce the following changes in Form Ghana's Management Team:
Matthew, Bismark and Alex studied forestry at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, Ghana. In 2013, they joined Form Ghana's Management Trainee Programme. They took the opportunity to work hard and learn as much as possible about the company's silviculture, forestry, and harvesting operations.
Their diligence, positive attitudes, and hands-on leadership paid off, and as their operational, management, and people skills developed, they were rewarded with promotions to supervisory and managerial positions.
Bismark summed up their sentiments, "The sustainability of the company is essential, which means everyone must contribute to working safely, productively, and efficiently. Form Ghana has offered so many opportunities for me to grow in my career. I have ideas that could contribute to the growth of the company and look forward to developing myself further so that I can make a difference".
Alexander, a qualified accountant with experience in the media, hospitality and banking industries, answered a Form Ghana advert in 2017. He began as a Senior Site Accountant, and as his knowledge and understanding of the company's activities grew, so did his enthusiasm for forestry.
In March 2025, he was promoted to the position of Senior Forest Accountant. "Forestry is challenging and very different to the other industries I have worked in," he comments.
"Form Ghana is a successful company; however, I believe that it is still developing. It is destined to be very significant in this country and will stand out due to the way we conduct our work. In my new role as Commercial Manager, I aim to expand my knowledge and insights, contributing to the company's mission and vision".
Congratulating the new appointees, Willem Fourie said, "These senior appointments show that our management and personal development system, accompanied by a dynamic mentoring programme, is forming a company with an enviable depth of capacity, insight, experience and an incredible future".
Introducing Form Ghana’s Board Member, Prof Joseph R Cobbinah.
Prof Cobbinah is a distinguished and erudite Board Member who has held leadership and advisory roles in Ghana’s forestry sector since 1978. An entomologist by profession, he is currently based at the Department of Climate Change and Integrated Natural Resources Management at the CSIR Graduate College of Science and Technology in Kumasi, Ghana.
In Prof Cobbinah’s words:
I am proud and delighted to have been part of Form Ghana from the beginning.
So much has happened, and we have so much to celebrate, including:
Prof Cobbinah concluded by saying “I know that Form Ghana is and will always be the trailblazer in West Africa’s plantation forestry industry!”.
Mariam Awuni, Form Ghana's Human Resources Manager, writes:
Form Ghana recently held successful training programmes for the Berekum and Adumadan plantations Ladies' Club members, focusing on team building, communication, conflict resolution and achieving common goals.
The aim of the training, led by Joycelyn Adii, the Bono Regional Gender Director, was to equip the women of Form Ghana with essential skills to thrive in a male-dominated industry.
Madam Joycelyn emphasised the importance of women supporting one another to strengthen the team's overall productivity and contribute to the company's goals and their own livelihood activities. She highlighted the need for women to build themselves up, unite, and lift each other, noting that collective strength is vital in overcoming challenges in the forestry sector.
During the sessions, she underscored the role of effective communication in fostering trust and preventing misinformation. She encouraged participants to follow the company's established procedures for addressing concerns and grievances, ensuring clarity and accountability. Conflict, she explained, is a natural part of group dynamics. Still, how it is managed determines whether it strengthens or weakens the team. She urged the group to use Form Ghana's conflict resolution mechanisms to address issues constructively.
The facilitator also prompted discussions on how the ladies could work together toward a common goal. The participants recognised that resolving internal conflicts and embracing diversity were essential to achieving unity and progress.
Madam Joycelyn advised the club to align its constitution with the company's vision and mission, ensuring that its efforts contribute to retaining and encouraging more women in the workforce. The training ended on a high note, with participants thanking management for its support. They requested assistance in organising similar training and coaching sessions to encourage more women to join the club and work towards the company's long-term success as "Women of Form Ghana".
Visitors to Form Ghana’s harvesting operations are accustomed to hearing the unmistakable sound of chainsaw operators working in our teak plantations. They are in for a pleasant surprise when the harvesting team clad in highly visible safety gear and carrying their industrial chainsaws emerge from the forest at lunchtime.
Regina Gbedaa, Patience Oppong, and Helina Dansowaa are members of Form Ghana’s all-female chainsaw squad, working alongside their male colleagues.
At Form Ghana, equality and diversity are among our core values. We take pride in offering equal opportunities to our existing employees and local community members. One of these operators is a current casual employee who seized the chance to learn and excel in a new role. Another discovered the opportunity through a radio announcement, while the third heard about it at a local community information centre.
Our skills development provider, CMO, sent Allan Ogram, their chainsaw specialist and instructor, to train the women. They completed two weeks of intensive training in tree characteristics, felling, debranching and crosscutting and received a Certificate of Competence.
“I was impressed by their attitudes, strength and willingness to learn a skill traditionally reserved for men. They had no problems in handling the saws during a full day’s work”, says Allan. “Their achievement proves something I always emphasise in my training courses – the ability to safely and productively handle a chainsaw is all about using the appropriate technique for the tree and its location”.
The newly skilled operators say they accepted the challenge to be pioneers in a male-dominated profession because Form Ghana believed they would succeed.
PATIENCE OPPONG
My name is Patience Oppong. I am a native of Berekum and a junior high school dropout.
I joined Form Ghana in November 2022 as a casual fire support worker. I volunteered to attend the chainsaw operator programme, and in May 2023, I was appointed as a permanent Chainsaw Operator.
I am proud to be an employee of Form Ghana because it has provided me with a job and the technical skills and abilities to operate a chainsaw.
By employing me, Form Ghana has helped me send my children to school and buy a plot of land and a sewing machine for my sister.
REGINA GBEDAA
My name is Regina Gbedaa, and I am a senior high school graduate. I heard on the radio that Form Ghana was looking for chain saw operators. My application was accepted, and I joined the company in May 2023.
I worked hard during the training programme and learnt how to operate the chainsaw and the importance of achieving my daily target.
Joining Form Ghana was my best decision because it has helped me rent accommodation and send my siblings to school.
HELINA DANSOWAA
I am Helina Dansowaa, and I was born and raised in Berekum. After junior high school, I worked as a seamstress when I heard at the community information centre that Form Ghana was looking for women interested in learning how to use a chainsaw.
Form Ghana and Allan Ogram taught me various chainsaw operating techniques, like how to hold the chainsaw and cut a tree to fall in the right direction. I know how to debranch trees and crosscut logs to specified sizes.
I want to thank Form Ghana for employing me and creating opportunities for me and other community members.
My name is Faustina Agyeiwaa. I am a graduate of KNUST and joined Form Ghana in June 2023 as a Management Trainee.
My experience has been worthwhile. Form Ghana is well organised and has an excellent record in social, environmental, and economic achievements. It is an honour to be part of a company involved in reforestation and restoration. The structured Management Trainee Programme has given me a great opportunity to learn on the job and build my communication, analytical thinking, and problem-solving skills. Also, I have gained practical knowledge of silviculture and harvesting and helped senior managers and officers in various plantation management activities.
I have grown personally and professionally and am confident that the practical knowledge and experiences gained so far will help me build a career at Form Ghana.
I am Adam Osman, a graduate of the UDS. Since joining Form Ghana in January 2023 as a Management Trainee, I have received training and worked in many departments.
I have assisted Plantation Supervisors and Technical Officers in all their duties. They and the managers taught me how to plan, organise teams and monitor plantation work. They encouraged me to identify trends, evaluate outputs and make improvement recommendations.
Working with Form Ghana has been an exciting and wonderful experience. The MTP has helped me understand the theories I learned in class by giving me contextual knowledge, practical skills and experience in plantation and harvesting management operations.
I see this as a challenge to keep working hard, advance professionally, and improve my interpersonal relationships, communication, and problem-solving skills. I appreciate Form Ghana for giving me this opportunity since it will significantly increase my long-term goal of becoming a forest or natural resources manager.
There's no better way to secure the future of a country and company than by attracting, nurturing and developing young and dynamic leaders. In this newsletter, we introduce Form Ghana’s Management Trainee Programme (MTP), which develops the company’s leaders to ensure our continuity and sustainability.
The MTP is sought-after by Ghanaian graduates wanting to work for a forward-thinking company in the highly rewarding fields of environmental stewardship, community engagement, reforestation and growing local economies. At the same time, Form Ghana provides the tools and opportunities for career development and personal growth.
“Young talent brings fresh ideas and innovation, contributing to Form Ghana’s adaptability and growth. Recruiting and selecting young people ensures that there is a pool of future leaders well-prepared and aligned with the company's values and objectives”, explains Mariam Awuni, Form Ghana’s Human Resources Manager.
“The MTP was introduced in 2010 to minimise disruptions in our operations by encouraging experienced supervisors and managers to pass on their knowledge, expertise, and institutional memory while remaining open to new ideas”, she says.
The Form Ghana MTP is an immersive experience that takes candidates through all levels of the organisation. Mariam explains that young graduates rotate through various departments and work side-by-side with teams in the nurseries and infield, supervisors, officers, foresters, and managers.
“This hands-on exposure gives potential leaders a rounded understanding of Form Ghana’s operations and what it means to be a sustainable forestry company. They are encouraged to take ownership of projects to develop their soft skills and understand leadership responsibilities. This helps them gain confidence and develop their decision-making skills”, Mariam explains.
The MTP period is six continuous months. When they have completed the programme, trainees can leave or join Form Ghana. They can build a career in the company by starting as a Management Assistant and rising through the ranks as Supervisors, Officers, Foresters, and Managers when there is a vacancy.
“While we are proud of the graduates who choose to continue their journey with Form Ghana, we understand that career paths are diverse. Many of our former students have ventured into other professional avenues, and we couldn't be happier with the feedback we receive. They tell us the experience and learnings gained during the MTP has given them the tools to secure other jobs and build successful careers”.
Mariam says, “The impact of the programme is far-reaching. Most of our management team are graduates who are contributing to Form Ghana’s sustainability and thereby playing a significant role in shaping the future of Ghana”.
"The safety, health and well-being of Form Ghana's employees and contractors are not negotiable," says Willem Fourie, the CEO. The company's Health and Safety Policy forms a significant component of employee induction, and safe work practices are underscored by Toolbox Talks every morning and a stringent skills training and refresher course system.
Form Ghana's management team proactively identifies health risks beyond on-the-job safety that could harm the company's operations and cause reputational harm to their employees and their families.
Food hygiene interventions
Food and water contamination could make employees ill, causing absenteeism, and, in extreme cases, could be fatal. Recently, the District Environmental Health Officers and Form Ghana's health team jointly inspected the food preparation premises of food vendors who sell and handle food on-site.
Form Ghana's Occupational Health and Safety Officer, Site Nurses and Health and Safety Assistants educated the food handlers and sellers about hygiene, safety and ways to control and prevent food contamination and cross infections.
Personal hygiene programme
As part of the preventative measures, the chemical sprayers, manual weeding teams, monitoring teams, engineering workshop staff, stores, janitors, and management staff were trained on personal hygiene infield and at the mustering site. This education aimed to address ill-health cases linked to hygiene as a risk factor.
Hand tools safety
The weeding team was trained to maintain their hand tools and ergonomics and safe techniques for slashing saplings/ shrubs and other problematic weeds.
Vehicle maintenance training
Form Ghana's drivers are exposed to extreme hazards in a country with poorly maintained roads, dangerous road users, cyclists, motorcycles, animals and pedestrians. They regularly attend training in risk assessment and defensive driving techniques in various conditions. The drivers were recently trained on the importance of tyre inspections and safety when changing a tyre.
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