This paper offers a critical review of the social obligations (revenue redistribution, direct payments, payments in kind, and access to justice or compensation) of logging concessionaires to affected communities in Cameroon, Ghana, Liberia and Republic of Congo. The research draws on a full desk-review of relevant legal texts, and consultation with leading non-governmental organisations working in the forest sector in the four countries. It appears that the legal foundation of social obligations is mainly shaped by national context, and therefore important differences can be observed across countries. However, they are complex, incomplete and precarious, providing opportunities for elite capture, and communities - and the State - not reaping the benefits they are owed by law. A key conclusion is that legality-licensing schemes such as under a Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) with the European Union (EU) tend to downplay social obligations compared to other aspects of legal compliance.
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