Samartex Timber and Plywood Ltd. was set up in 1995 under the Government of Ghana’s programme of Divestiture (or privatisation) of state owned businesses in order to promote their rehabilitation and economic growth.

The company, previously known as African Timber and Plywood Co. Ltd, had been in existence since 1947. Samartex however inherited existing structures albeit in a thoroughly run down condition. Years of mismanagement coupled with a disastrous fire had left the wood processing facilities in total chaos. In short, the whole company and its fixtures were in a dilapidated state.

Upon takeover, Samartex management implemented a massive programme of investment and rehabilitation, which continues to this day.

Undoubtedly the major assets available to the company were the substantial resource in the form of timber concessions. However to ensure the future survival of the company and its over 2000 employees, as well as to safeguard the existence of hundreds of species of flora and fauna that inhabit the forests where Samartex extracts timber resources, this resource has to be managed in a sustainable way.

The sustainable use of this forest resource is an immense challenge for those involved, both within the company and those in Ghana’s Forest Services Division who have the responsibility for monitoring and controlling the nation's forest resources.

Samartex has had to constantly respond and react to changes in forest policy on a national and international level.

At this point in time Ghana’s forests are more tightly regulated than at any other point in history and the increasing awareness of sustainability by the industry’s customers (as well as the public in general) has meant that the tropical timber industry has to be responsible, productive and efficient, simply to survive.