Banjul, The Gambia --- Strengthening collaboration across forestry, agriculture, wildlife and climate sectors was at the centre of a high-level side event held during the 25th Session of the African Forestry and Wildlife Commission (AFWC25) and African Forestry and Wildlife Week.
Co-hosted by the African Forest Forum (AFF), the African Forestry and Wildlife Commission (FAO), the UN-REDD Programme, AfricanYouth4Forests (AY4F) and the BiG-CHANCE project, the event brought together policymakers, technical experts, youth representatives, development partners and private sector stakeholders from across Africa to exchange experiences and perspectives on building resilient and inclusive agrifood systems.
Discussions emphasized the importance of integrated approaches that link forestry, agriculture, wildlife and climate action to address deforestation, restore degraded landscapes and enhance food security and livelihoods. Participants highlighted that effective collaboration across sectors and governance levels is essential to delivering sustainable and long-term outcomes, particularly in the context of increasing climate risks and land-use pressures.
Speakers underscored how strengthened cross-sector collaboration can accelerate the scaling of agroforestry and landscape restoration initiatives, while improving policy coherence across forestry, agriculture, trade and climate sectors. Innovative financing mechanisms, including digital traceability systems and responsible trade models, were highlighted as important enablers for forest-positive and sustainable value chains. Effective coordination among governments, the private sector, civil society and local communities was identified as a critical element of sustainable landscape management and the delivery of multiple environmental, social and economic benefits.
At the national level, discussions highlighted that effective REDD+ implementation requires robust social and environmental safeguards, equitable benefit-sharing mechanisms and sound carbon market governance frameworks. Ghana's cross-sectoral REDD+ approach was presented as an illustrative example of how coordinated land-use planning and climate-smart production systems can contribute to economic diversification, livelihood improvement and forest conservation.
Participants also emphasized the central role of local communities, smallholder farmers, Indigenous Peoples and youth in advancing sustainable forest and agrifood system transitions. Integrating local and Indigenous knowledge, strengthening capacity-building and training, and promoting climate-smart practices were identified as key actions to reduce deforestation, protect biodiversity and enhance rural livelihoods. Youth engagement, in particular, was highlighted as an important driver of innovation and continuity in forestry and climate action across the continent.
The event identified priority actions to support continued progress, including strengthening multi-stakeholder platforms for knowledge exchange and coordinated action; expanding access to climate finance, carbon markets and digital tools; operationalizing inclusive, participatory and adequately financed REDD+ frameworks; and scaling youth-focused training, mentorship and innovation ecosystems.
The side event concluded with a shared commitment to advancing forest-positive and climate-resilient development pathways across Africa. Outcomes from AFWC25 will inform deliberations at the 28th Session of the FAO Committee on Forestry and the 34th FAO Regional Conference for Africa, scheduled for 2026.
The African Forestry and Wildlife Commission, established in 1959, is one of FAO's Regional Forestry Commissions. It provides a platform for African countries to review progress, exchange experiences and guide FAO's technical support on sustainable forest and wildlife management.
AfricanYouth4Forests Highlights Youth Leadership at AFWC25
Banjul, The Gambia --- African youth leadership in forestry and climate action featured prominently at the 25th Session of the African Forestry and Wildlife Commission (AFWC25), where Farhan Moshood Jimba, Chair of the AfricanYouth4Forests (AY4F) Youth Advisory Council, presented at a joint side event co-organized by the African Forest Forum (AFF), the UN-REDD Programme, the African Forestry and Wildlife Commission (FAO), and AfricanYouth4Forests (AY4F).
Farhan Moshood Jimba, AY4F Chair, Youth Advisory Council
Farhan emphasized that despite facing barriers such as limited access to land, finance and decision-making spaces, young people across Africa are increasingly contributing to sustainable forest management and climate-resilient development. The AY4F initiative equips youth with practical skills, scientific knowledge and opportunities to engage with researchers, policymakers and local communities, strengthening their role in landscape restoration and forest-positive initiatives.
Drawing on lessons from multi-country studies, virtual Communities of Practice, and national workshops in Kenya and Cameroon, Farhan highlighted priority actions for effective youth engagement. These include creating inclusive dialogue platforms, enhancing capacity in restoration, agroforestry, digital tools and non-timber forest product enterprises, and supporting youth participation in policy processes at multiple levels.
The presentation also showcased how technology and green entrepreneurship are empowering youth to implement scalable solutions. Examples included using GIS and drones for forest monitoring, and developing sustainable enterprises in honey, eco-bricks, non-timber forest products and climate-smart goods.
Key messages underscored youth as essential drivers of transformation, the need for sustained capacity-building and collaboration, and the role of technology and entrepreneurship in enhancing environmental, social and economic impact.
The AfricanYouth4Forests initiative continues to demonstrate the creativity, commitment and leadership of Africa's young people, highlighting the importance of investing in youth as partners in building a greener and more resilient continent.
Communities of Practice Drive Journey Towards Forest Positive Agriculture in Africa
The African continent is at a defining crossroads: how to feed a growing population, sustain rural livelihoods, and preserve the forests that anchor its ecological and economic balance. From 27--29 October 2025, FAO, the African Forest Forum (AFF), and UNEP convened more than 330 participants from across 25 African countries -- 42 percent women - for a Community of Practice (CoP) webinar focused on "strengthening sustainable agricultural solutions for halting deforestation in Africa".
A woman cocoa farmer works the land near Atewa Forest, where livelihoods, biodiversity, and the future of Ghana’s cocoa sector are deeply . Photo: AFF
Held on the Howspace platform, the three-day virtual exchange served as living laboratory of ideas, experiences, and solutions to advance a deforestation-free agricultural future -- reinforcing peer learning and joint priority-setting around four shared priority areas: (1) Strengthening sustainable, forest positive value chains for market-based regulations including through enhanced due diligence and digital traceability systems; (2) Enhancing sustainable finance and private sector engagement; (3) Strengthening cross-sectoral policy coordination and integrated landscape approach; and (4) Developing and enhancing regional principles and approach for localized, context-specific solutions.
Participants emphasized the need to scale up such actions in a participatory manner, blending regional knowledge and principles with practical tools to ensure that agriculture-and-forest initiatives generate tangible, cross-sectoral and mutually beneficial socio-economic outcomes for local communities, while keeping smallholders and governments firmly in the driving seat.
Community action matters -- and it's already underway
Africa loses about 4.4 million hectares of forest every year with 97 percent of agriculture-linked deforestation associated in the context of small-scale farming. This reflects the predominance of small-scale producers in the region's agricultural landscape and means that effective solutions lie in supporting smallholders, addressing structural constraints and strengthening their capacity to transition to sustainable land-use practices. Faced with changing global market requirements---such as the EU Deforestation Regulation---and the growing need for climate‑resilient food systems, countries require more than technical tools. They need a trusted space to collaborate, learn, and co‑create solutions.
As Prof. Labode Popoola, Executive Secretary of AFF, noted: "Feeding people and protecting forests are not opposing goals---balancing ecology and economics is the only path to sustainable development".
The CoP brought together policymakers, researchers, producer organizations, NGOs, and private‑sector actors, sharing how to transform knowledge into action. Over 38 percent of reported impacts involved on‑the‑ground restoration and tree planting, including over 40,000 indigenous trees planted in Uganda. Trials in Cameroon tested optimal tree densities in cocoa landscapes, while Côte d'Ivoire expanded agroforestry models through PROMIRE project. Almost half of participants (45 percent) reported that they are already integrating some of these lessons into ongoing work. As one participant affirmed: "We are already planning to incorporate agroforestry and due‑diligence systems into our community projects".
Finance as an engine of inclusion and empowerment
Forest and Farm Producer Organizations (FFPOs) demonstrated their powerful role as change agents. "Through the FFF, over 380 FFPOs and 762,000 people have strengthened sustainable livelihoods and restored over half a million hectares by linking inclusive governance, climate‑smart enterprises, and access to finance", highlighted Jhony Zapata, Senior Forestry Officer at FAO.
Forty‑three percent of participant reflections emphasized that community engagement and ownership are key for success. As one farmer leader shared, "Community ownership and participation are the backbone of restoration."
Innovative finance models -- particularly strategically mixing both public and private finance - can make forest protection economically viable. Public‑private investment and blended finance are beginning to unlock capital for forest‑positive production as can be observed in the Cocoa and Forest Initiative implemented by IDH in Côte d'Ivoire. The Cocoa and Forests Initiative in Côte d'Ivoire demonstrates how public-private partnership accelerates sustainable cocoa systems. REDD+ are also continuing to be a catalyst as well - "REDD+ offers us a chance to grow essential commodities like cocoa without sacrificing the forests we rely on", emphasized Thomas Yaw Gyambrah, Manager of the Climate Change Directorate, Ghana Forestry Commission. The financial community increasingly sees deforestation as a risk to address for long-term sustainability. Pei Chi Wong, Senior Research Associate at Global Canopy stressed that though "Deforestation poses financial and reputational risks to financial institutions... yet it is a solvable crisis".
Data and digital traceability systems deliver opportunities
As demand for transparency rises, digital tools are becoming essential infrastructure for transparency, accountability, and market access, helping smallholders access premium markets. Open Foris Ground and WHISP allow producers to map plot‑level data and feed into national systems. "A digital public infrastructure is the only way to provide a global solution to a global issue and allow the most vulnerable to access premium markets sustainably", stressed Rémi d'Annunzio, FAO Forestry Officer. Kenya's success with coffee traceability demonstrates how such tools can boost competitiveness for smallholders.
Integrated governance and regional principles
"No single actor can achieve a deforestation‑free future alone", stated Abraham Baffoe, Executive Director, Proforest Africa. Through the Africa Sustainable Commodities Initiative (ASCI), African countries are coordinating regional principles and leading their own localized solutions across the continent. Country experiences reaffirmed that local ownership is the heartbeat of sustainability. The CoP reinforced the importance of peer learning, expanding South--South learning, and co‑developing tools for traceable supply chains. The CoP called for scaling such participatory approaches, blending traditional knowledge with modern tools to ensure that forest conservation efforts translate into tangible socio-economic benefits for local people.
Looking ahead
The CoP aims to evolve beyond a single event into a regional knowledge ecosystem. Upcoming efforts focused on: 1) Scale digital transparency; 2) Strengthen local and regional networks; and 3) Align finance with forest‑positive action
As Serena Fortuna, FAO Senior Forestry Officer, noted: "Africa's future depends on producing food without depleting its forests. This Community of Practice is helping turn that vision into collective action".
Authors:
- Félicien Kengoum Djiegni, Facilitator of the Community of Practice
- Naoko Takahashi, Forestry Officer, Halting Deforestation, Degradation, and Emissions Team, FAO Forestry Division
- Dennis Genesse, Halting deforestation and agroecology specialist, Halting Deforestation, Degradation, and Emissions Team, FAO Forestry Division
Africa Learning Lab: strengthening approaches to fair and effective REDD+ benefit-sharing
Country representatives, together with experts from UN-REDD, the African Forest Forum (AFF), and the World Bank, pose for a group photo outside the event venue.
Lusaka, Zambia - As climate finance opportunities grow across Africa, governments are stepping up efforts to ensure that the benefits of REDD+ reach the communities who protect and depend on forests in ways that are fair, transparent and trusted.
To support this momentum, the UN-REDD Programme, together with the African Forest Forum and the World Bank, convened a week-long regional learning lab on benefit-sharing in Zambia's capital, Lusaka, from 23--27 November 2025. The event brought together representatives and practitioners from 12 African countries to deepen understanding of benefit-sharing design and provide practical guidance on accessing results-based payments.
The event was inspired by lessons from the UN-REDD Global Exchange on benefit-sharing held earlier this year (March 2025) in Nairobi. This regional event moved beyond theory -- its design reflected a clear demand from countries for practical guidance, high-engagement activities and space to work through real governance and implementation challenges together.
During the opening session, Steve Swan, UNEP UN-REDD Programme Management Lead, underscored the growing urgency to advance credible and inclusive benefit-sharing frameworks across the region. "Across Africa, countries are now moving from planning to implementation. That means benefit-sharing must be clear, credible, and community-centred from the start," said Swan.
Speaking also during the opening ceremony, Executive Secretary of the African Forest Forum (AFF) Prof. Labode Popoola emphasized the importance of African-led solutions and regional cooperation in shaping fair and effective benefit-sharing systems.
Senior representatives from UNEP, the World Bank, AFF, and Zambia's Ministry of Green Economy and Environment framed benefit-sharing not as an administrative afterthought, but as a national policy instrument with direct implications for access to climate finance, social legitimacy, and long-term forest outcomes.
These remarks set the tone for the week, which focused on practical tools, peer-to-peer learning, and aligning technical design with the realities and priorities of communities on the ground.
Learning from each other
Delegates from Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Guinea, the Republic of Congo, Uganda, and Zambia shared candid reflections on the realities of implementing REDD+ in their countries. Despite being at different stages of readiness, many identified similar challenges: aligning national policies with local realities, defining fair and transparent distribution criteria, and building long-term trust with communities.
Participants also highlighted the value of peer learning and the continuity between the Nairobi workshop and the Lusaka Learning Lab.
"The Nairobi workshop gave us the conceptual foundation, and Lusaka helped us turn those ideas into practical steps," said Guy Kajemba from the DRC. "Seeing examples from other countries motivates us and shows what's possible."
Trust and participation emerged repeatedly as core principles of effective benefit-sharing.
Putting communities at the center
Participants repeatedly emphasized that communities must be central to the design and implementation of benefit-sharing systems. In a participatory design session, Sarah Beard, UNEP UN-REDD Safeguards Specialist, reminded participants that communities are not just beneficiaries or passive recipients but effective delivery partners. Recognizing forest communities as active participants and rights-holders is central to demonstrating integrity, managing risk and sustaining equitable access to results-based finance.
Country representatives engaged in hands-on exercises, including stakeholder mapping, designing decision-making structures, and drafting benefit-distribution matrices that integrated both carbon and non-carbon benefits, such as livelihoods, capacity building, and strengthened local institutions.
Moving forward together
By the end of the week, participants moved from dialogue to delivery. Country representatives developed detailed action plans to strengthen or finalize their national benefit-sharing frameworks. Participants highlighted next steps, including advancing transparency and tracking tools, legal and policy reforms, and mechanisms to ensure that local voices meaningfully guide benefit distribution.
"Seeing the commitment from other countries motivates us to do better at home," said Techla Chumba, NACOFA Treasurer, Kenya. "We now have concrete ideas on how to make our benefit-sharing systems more equitable and community-driven." The Learning Lab demonstrated that as climate finance expands, African countries are not only ready to access funds, but they are also committed to ensuring that benefits reach the communities who protect forests every day.
- By: Michael Muratha
AFF Strengthens Science--Policy Engagement Through National Policy Dialogues in Nigeria and Madagascar
The African Forest Forum (AFF) continues to advance its role as a continental science--policy platform by convening national policy dialogues aimed at strengthening the integration of forestry into biodiversity governance frameworks. In 2025, AFF held two national policy dialogues in Nigeria and Madagascar, bringing together diverse stakeholders to align forest governance with the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), national development priorities, and global biodiversity commitments.
The dialogues were supported through the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida)--funded project "Transforming the African Forest Forum to enhance its capacity to improve livelihoods and environmental stability through better management of African forest and tree resources." The project seeks to generate, synthesize, and share African context-specific knowledge that promotes the sustainable management of forests and trees outside forests in the context of climate change, while enhancing human well-being and environmental protection.
Across both countries, the policy dialogues aimed to strengthen coordination among public policies related to forest biodiversity by improving the integration of forestry into CBD-related processes, national governance instruments, and sectoral frameworks.
Participants of the national policy dialogue held from 15--17 September 2025 in Abuja, Nigeria
A Unified National Dialogue Process: Lessons from Nigeria and Madagascar
AFF implemented a harmonized national policy dialogue approach in Nigeria (15--17 September 2025, Abuja) and Madagascar (23--25 September 2025), working closely with national CBD focal points and relevant ministries to strengthen the integration of forestry into biodiversity governance instruments and related sectoral processes. Across both countries, the dialogues convened a total of 58 participants from government institutions, academia and research bodies, civil society organizations, community-based organizations, development partners, youth and women's groups, the media, and technical experts in forestry, biodiversity, and energy.
Guided by the shared theme of strengthening forestry--biodiversity integration for improved forest biodiversity management, the dialogues examined how forestry is addressed within CBD frameworks, National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans (NBSAPs), and wider national governance instruments. Participants assessed opportunities, constraints, and institutional gaps, while identifying practical entry points to improve policy coherence and coordination across sectors.
Evidence-Informed Deliberations
In both countries, the three-day dialogues combined technical presentations with participatory working sessions. Evidence from national and regional studies informed discussions on:
- Integration of forestry into biodiversity governance instruments and sectoral policies;
- Development of climate-resilient value chains for biodiversity-related products and services;
- Sustainability determinants of wood- and tree-based energy systems; and
- Linkages between forest biodiversity, livelihoods, and climate change responses.
Participants worked in thematic groups focusing on policy coherence, institutional opportunities, barriers and constraints, and strategies to capitalize on opportunities while addressing systemic challenges. This process ensured that dialogue outcomes were grounded in scientific evidence while reflecting national priorities and stakeholder realities.
Roadmaps for Action and Policy Alignment
A key outcome of both dialogues was the co-development of national forestry--biodiversity integration roadmaps, aligned with the Kunming--Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF) and respective NBSAPs. The roadmaps articulate priority actions, lead institutions, key stakeholders, indicative timelines, performance indicators, and financing considerations at national and subnational levels.
Common priorities emerging from both countries included:
- Strengthening institutional and human capacity for forestry--biodiversity integration;
- Improving coordination mechanisms and policy coherence across sectors;
- Aligning CBD--NBSAP indicators with broader national development and sectoral frameworks;
- Enhancing data systems, monitoring platforms, and harmonized methodologies;
- Establishing pilot sites to demonstrate sustainable forest management and multi-resource development; and
- Scaling up financial mobilization and innovative partnerships to support implementation.
In Nigeria, the dialogue also resulted in a communiqué emphasizing the need for comprehensive biodiversity and forest resource assessments, mainstreaming forestry and biodiversity into national budgeting processes, fair valuation and pricing of forest resources, innovation at the nature--business interface, and inclusive participation of women, youth, vulnerable groups, and local communities.
Strengthening Inclusive and Coordinated Forest Governance
Across both national contexts, the dialogues reinforced a shared commitment to more inclusive, coordinated, and evidence-based forest governance. By convening diverse actors and anchoring discussions in scientific research and national policy priorities, the dialogues created practical platforms for translating biodiversity commitments into actionable forestry policies.
Participants of the national policy dialogue held from 23--25 September 2025 in Madagascar
Building on AFF's Continental Research and Policy Agenda
The national policy dialogues in Nigeria and Madagascar build on AFF's 2024 studies on Africa's forest biodiversity hotspots, which examined how biodiversity, desertification, and climate change policies influence forest management across the continent. These studies have also explored climate-resilient value chains for biodiversity products and services, the integration of traditional and indigenous knowledge into forest-based livelihoods, and the promotion of renewable, efficient, and socially inclusive biomass energy options.
Through these dialogues, AFF is empowering government agencies, civil society organizations, private sector actors, local communities, women, and youth to take coordinated, evidence-based action for sustainable forest management. Strengthening environmental governance and policy coherence remains critical to ensuring the sustainable supply of ecosystem goods and services that underpin socio-economic development and human well-being across Africa.