Wood Industry and Utilization Division was created some few years after Forest Products Research Institute was fully established under Ghana Academy of Sciences as a research institute in 1964. The Division, headed by Mr. FFK Ampong, had three sections namely Mechanical Processing, Preservation and drying. Some Research Scientists at that time included Mr. Martin Ben-dzam, Mr. FFK Ampong, Mr. WK Ashiabor, Dr. J. Ofori, Dr. A. Addae-Mensah and Mr. Joshua Ayarkwa. In the late 80’s, the Division, which was renamed as Engineering and Mechanical Processing, was headed by Dr. Addae-Mensah until 1996 when he handed over to Dr. J. Ofori.
The Division was in charge of the utilization programme that was introduced as one of the core research areas. In 2007 under the Directorship of the then Dr. VK Agyeman, the name of the Division was changed to Wood Industry Development and Trade (strategic plan III) and again, was renamed as Wood Industry Development in 2012 (strategic plan IV). During the implementation of strategic plan III, the rotational headship of the division among scientists started. In August 2015 the division was renamed again as Wood Industry and Utilization.
The block of the division, Dr. J.R Cobbinah block, is named after an Eminent Scientist and former Director of the Institute. Since January 2010 the following have headed the division:
Mr. JK Appiah (2010 and 2012)
Mr. Francis Wilson Owusu ( 2011, 2013, 2014 and 2016-17, 2022-2023)
Dr. Lawrence Damnyag (Jan-June 2015)
Dr. Emmanuel Ebanyenle (July-Dec 2015; 2018-2021)
The current head of division is Mr. Francis Wilson Owusu, Principal Research Scientist. The Division currently has 10 senior members (with 2 on study leave), 6 senior staff and 2 junior staff.
The division seeks to develop technologies for efficient processing and utilization of wood and non-wood forest products as a means to improve exploitation. Priority areas include:
- Wood processing and products development
- Reduction of residues and residue utilization
- Processing of LUS and lesser known species
- Small diameter logs and non-traditional timber processing
- Incubation and linkage to industry/small medium enterprises
- Setting up standards and regulations to govern the operations of small scale and medium scale forest enterprises (including development of informal wood sector)
- Support specialized training and craftsmanship schemes for wood processing, bamboo, rubber wood, rattan and lesser-known tree species.
- Biofuel
SENIOR MEMBERS
| Name | Rank | Field of Expertise |
| Mr. Francis Owusu Wilson | Principal Research Scientist | Wood and bamboo processing technologies, chainsawing /Testing |
| Dr. Emmanuel Ebanyenle (PhD) | Senior Research Scientist | Wood Anatomy |
| Dr. James Kofi Korang | Research Scientist | Wood Chemistry |
| Dr. Michael Awotwe-Mensah | Research Scientist | Wood Engineering |
| Dr. Prosper Mensah | Research Scientist | Wood Composite |
| Bridgette Brentuo(Ms.) | Research Scientist | Wood drying |
| James Kudjo Govina | Principal Technologist | Wood Anatomy |
| Haruna Seidu | Principal Technologist | Timber Mechanics / Furniture Testing |
| Judith Odei Owusu-Asante | Principal Technologist | Wood Chemistry |
| Prosper Mensah | Principal Technologist | Wood Science /Wood Construction |
| Safia Ibrahim | Principal Technologist |
SENIOR STAFF
| Name | Position | Field of Expertise |
| Mr. Eric Frimpong Chief | Chief Technical Officer | Furniture design and construction |
| Mr. Peter Loving Arthur | Chief Technical Officer | Furniture design and construction |
| Mr. Felix Boakye | Chief Technical Officer | Furniture design and Production |
| Mrs. Jemima Owusu | Chief Technical Officer | Chemical Engineering |
| Mrs. Ruth Esi Amuzu | Technical Officer | Farm Management |
| Mr. Joshua Adzigodie | Technical Officer | Forestry |
JUNIOR STAFF
| Name | Position | Field of Expertise |
| Mr. Christopher Kudze | Junior Foreman | Wood Machining |
| Mr. Joshua Owusu Afriyie | Trademan Grade II | Spraying |
Facilities
The Division has six sections/laboratories, which include:
- Wood Anatomy Laboratory
- Chemistry and Chemical Technology Laboratory
- Wood Preservation
- Wood Physics and Drying
- Wood and Furniture testing centre
- Wood machining (A workshop for preparation of wood samples and production of wood products)
