Ghana — EUDR country risk classification

Listed as LOW risk on the official EU benchmarking list. Classification from Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1093 (22 May 2025); countries not listed default to standard risk under Article 1(2).

Country GHClass Low riskAuthority checks ≥ 1%/yrSimplified DD Available

What this class changes

Obligations for consignments from Ghana.

Collect the full Article 9 information for every consignment — this never goes away, whatever the class.
Simplified due diligence available (Art. 13): the risk-assessment and risk-mitigation steps may be skipped IF you verified the origin and there is no mixing with standard/high-risk origins. The Article 9 information — including the geolocation of every plot — and the due diligence statement are still required.
Competent authorities must check at least 1% of operators from this class each year (Art. 16).

Forest & deforestation context

Why Ghana is scrutinised the way it is.

Second-largest cocoa producer; cocoa-driven forest loss concentrates in the Western and Ashanti regions. Low risk on the list, full plot mapping still expected by buyers.

Main commodity drivers of forest loss: cocoa (deforestation-attribution literature).

FLEGT/VPA status: VPA concluded and ratified; licensing not yet operational.

Legality evidence in Ghana

What proves Article 9(1)(h) legality here.

COCOBOD passbook / licensed buyer records

All cocoa flows through the state marketing board — the passbook links farmer, farm and purchases.

Stool land / customary tenure attestation

Most farmland is customary; chief (stool) attestations are the accepted evidence.

Plot evidence in Map Studio

No public parcel register for Ghana.

Plots are drawn on satellite imagery or imported from supplier files in Map Studio; automatic country-border and coastline checks still apply to every plot.

Mixing caveat: simplified due diligence is lost the moment Ghana origins are mixed with standard or high-risk origins in one consignment — Map Studio raises this as the mixed-origin warning.

Evidence checklist for Ghana

What to collect, and who owns it.

Product description, HS code and quantity

Art. 9(1)(a)-(b) — from the commercial invoice.

Operator

Country of production (and region where risk varies)

Art. 9(1)(c).

Operator

Plot geolocation with production date or range

Art. 9(1)(d) — six-decimal WGS84; polygons over 4 ha.

Supplier

Supplier name, address and contact

Art. 9(1)(e) — every business you were supplied by.

Operator

Deforestation-free evidence

Art. 9(1)(g) — satellite cross-check against the 31 Dec 2020 cutoff; certification supports but does not replace it.

System check

COCOBOD passbook / licensed buyer records

Art. 9(1)(h) legality evidence — All cocoa flows through the state marketing board — the passbook links farmer, farm and purchases.

Supplier

Stool land / customary tenure attestation

Art. 9(1)(h) legality evidence — Most farmland is customary; chief (stool) attestations are the accepted evidence.

Supplier

Manual TRACES filing — Ghana

Filing steps for this origin.

Collect each supplier's plot geometry (GeoJSON/KML/shapefile or drawn in Map Studio) and verify it against satellite imagery.
Run the automatic checks in Map Studio: country borders, coastline, geometry validity, mixed origin.
Fill producer name and production country per plot; set commodity, product type and production period once on the workspace.
Verify eligibility for simplified due diligence (Art. 13): origin confirmed and no mixing with standard or high-risk origins — otherwise run the full risk assessment.
For timber: attach the FLEGT licence — licensed timber is automatically considered legal under Art. 10.
Export the TRACES submission GeoJSON from Map Studio (readiness gate must be green) and keep the plot register and checksums with your records.
Enter the DDS in TRACES, attach the GeoJSON, and record the DDS reference number on the invoice chain.