European importers of tropical timber and wood products have met together with African suppliers to establish partnerships and discuss issues affecting the trade.
The January 21-23 “Race Wood” meeting in Gabon, organised by the Inter-African Forest Industries Association, the Centre for the Development of Enterprise and Proinvest, attracted some 40 African companies from eight different countries and 35 European firms looking for reliable and legal suppliers.
Sectors represented included fittings, joinery, furniture, plywood, panelling, mouldings and glue laminated timber.
The event, intended to establish financial, technical or commercial partnerships between the two sides, featured workshops on the importance of long-term management, secondary species, investment, environment and banking networks.
About 600-700 one-to-one meetings were held between companies, with 50% of them resulting in possible agreements. Some 30 letters of intention expressing a will to work towards partnership agreements on specific subjects of co-operation have already been signed between European and African operators.
