Cameroon is intensifying its efforts towards a green economy with the official launch of the operational phase of the CAFI (Central Africa Forest Initiative). The Minister of Economy, Planning and Regional Development (Minepat), Alamine Ousmane Mey, kicked off the program on February 20, 2026, in Yaoundé. This initiative aims to transform the country's agricultural, forestry, and mining value chains while combating climate change, deforestation, and land degradation.
The partnership between Cameroon and CAFI revolves around four pilot projects, benefiting from a total funding of 33.2 billion FCFA (approximately $60 million) for the period 2025-2028. These projects are designed to support the implementation of the National Development Strategy 2020-2030 (SND30) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The Project to Support Intersectoral and Multi-level Coordination (PCIM), with 9.5 billion FCFA ($17.26 million), will play a central role in coordinating actions between different administrations and ministries. It is jointly implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and GIZ.
The Pilot Project to Support Sustainable Intensification of Agriculture and Agro-ecological Transition (Paidata), funded to the tune of 12 billion FCFA ($21.9 million) and implemented by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), directly targets agricultural holdings. The goal is to promote more productive and less forest-consuming agricultural practices, given that extensive agriculture is responsible for more than 60% of deforestation in Cameroon.
The Integrated Landscape Management Project of Grand Mbam (PGIP-GM), with 11 billion FCFA funding from Kfw, aims to demonstrate that integrated management can reconcile production, conservation, and local development. This project, lasting 48 months (2026-2029), will focus on the sustainable exploitation of natural resources to generate income while stabilizing ecosystems.
Finally, the Capacity Building Project in Land Use Planning (Prcat), implemented by GIZ, has funding of 4 billion FCFA. It aims to strengthen the legal and technical tools for land use planning, support the development of local land allocation plans, and support the development of the methodology for the third National Forest Inventory.
The Minepat stressed the importance of halting forest loss, offsetting losses through natural regeneration, and preserving wetlands and peatlands. He also emphasized that the results of this pilot phase will determine the scale of future funding, highlighting the importance of transparent coordination, community involvement, responsible private sector investment, and vigilance from civil society and researchers.
The CAFI initiative follows a progressive and performance-based approach, aiming to structurally transform the Cameroonian economy, generate rural employment, improve incomes and reduce poverty in forest areas. Cameroon aims to make the Congo Basin forest a global common good, contributing to the planet's ecological stability through responsible exploitation.
