• Cameroon, partners pledge $2.5 billion for forest management
• CAFI funds reforms balancing conservation and economic growth
• $60 million pilot phase launches projects through 2028

Cameroon and its development partners have committed to raising $2.5 billion (about 1.39 trillion CFA francs) to strengthen sustainable forest management across the Congo Basin and Lake Chad regions.

The pledge was announced in Yaounde on February 20 at the launch of the Cameroon Central African Forest Initiative (CAFI), marking a new phase in funding the country’s green transition.

Officials said the financing is to be secured by 2035 and will support reforms aimed at balancing environmental protection with economic development. The package forms part of a strategic partnership between Cameroon and CAFI to upgrade agricultural, forestry and mining value chains, improve their competitiveness in international markets, safeguard food security and curb deforestation.

Speaking at the ceremony, Economy Minister Alamine Ousmane Mey said the initiative builds on commitments made on the sidelines of the Hamburg Conference in October 2024.

“We signed letters of intent, particularly with CAFI, to mobilise partners around a $2.5 billion package to support Cameroon’s development while protecting the environment, integrating new technologies and raising awareness among local communities so that growth is inclusive and sustainable,” he said.

$60 million pilot phase to launch long-term strategy

The programme will be implemented in three phases: a start-up period from 2025 to 2028, followed by an engagement phase and then a scale-up phase.

The initial stage includes four pilot projects worth $60 million (over 30 billion CFA francs). The projects focus on strengthening coordination across levels of government, promoting agro-ecological transition, advancing integrated land management and improving territorial planning.

Funding partners include Germany’s development agency GIZ, German development bank KfW, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

The Multilevel and Inter-sectoral Coordination Support Project, financed by GIZ and UNDP with 9.6 billion CFA francs, will run for 36 months. The PAIDATA project, which promotes sustainable agricultural intensification, is backed by IFAD. The Integrated Land Management Project in Grand Mbam, funded by KfW with 11.1 billion CFA francs, will run from 2026 to 2029. The Territorial Planning Capacity Building Project (PRCAT), financed by GIZ with 4 billion CFA francs, is already under way and will run until 2028.

Ousmane Mey said the initial $60 million phase would lay the groundwork for a long-term system aimed at increasing the value added of agricultural, mining and livestock products derived from natural resources.

“These resources will support coordination across government levels, agro-ecological transition for sustainable crops including coffee and cocoa, integrated landscape management in Grand Mbam and territorial planning that takes into account land, demographic and agricultural constraints,” he said.

He added that the goal is to position Cameroon at the heart of efforts to protect the Congo Basin forests while ensuring sustainable wealth creation.

United Nations backs initiative

The United Nations system in Cameroon pledged technical support for the programme. Resident Coordinator Issa Sanogo said the four projects were strategically significant both environmentally and economically.

“This initiative targets deforestation in one of the world’s largest carbon sinks, the Congo Basin. It is also economically important because it seeks to leverage the green economy and involve local communities,” he said.

Sanogo added that the approach contributes directly to Sustainable Development Goals 13 and 15 on climate action and life on land. He said UNDP had helped put Cameroon on a development path focused on collective resilience and that the initiative could serve as a model for other CEMAC member states.

He described the launch as a major step in global forest preservation, given the Congo Basin’s critical role in climate regulation.

Officials said local councils, civil society, the private sector and academic institutions are expected to contribute to ensuring that environmental protection and economic growth advance in parallel under the CAFI framework.

Mercy Fosoh, with Business in Cameroon