The sluggishness of certain African governments in participating in REDD+ initiatives within their countries was highlighted as a significant issue during the Regional Exchange Workshop in Abidjan, focused on enhancing REDD+ implementation and integration with sectoral development policies.

Particularly troubling is that the least progressed countries are failing to leverage the opportunities and expertise of more advanced REDD+ countries like Ghana, which has established a strong governance framework for initiatives like the Ghana Cocoa Forest REDD+ Programme (GCFRP).

In Ghana, funds are efficiently distributed from the Ministry of Finance to the forestry commission and ultimately to beneficiaries, showcasing a robust governance structure.

Ghana achieved a significant milestone by becoming the second country in Africa, following Mozambique, to receive payments from the World Bank trust fund for its efforts in reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation. In January 2023, the country received about 4.8 million US dollars in payments for reducing 972,456 tons of carbon.

The common problem with countries was lack of funding to complete the readiness phase and lack and poor operationalization of the institutional and legal framework, including addressing integration of REDD+ across other sectoral policies and strategies.

Again, Ghana is recognized for its establishment of dedicated institutions tasked with implementing REDD+ initiatives and safeguarding the rights of local communities.

During discussions, additional concerns were raised, including the need for stronger laws, policies, and regulations, as well as the importance of implementing monitoring and evaluation measures for reforestation projects to ensure their long-term sustainability. Participants emphasized the necessity of finding robust solutions to address these issues.

Other challenges discussed encompassed the imperative for enhanced advocacy and lobbying efforts pertaining to forestry, environmental conservation, and climate change. These efforts aim to ensure the proper prioritization and integration into the national planning and budgeting processes across countries.

It was underscored that creating awareness about carbon credit markets and facilitating access to REDD+ financing are essential components. The lack of expertise and

It was noted that although all countries have put in place institutional and legal framework for social inclusion, their effective implementation is still slow-moving  leading to  exclusion of local communities and indigenous peoples from REDD+ sensitization and awareness programs were also highlighted as areas requiring attention.

Despite these challenges, it was noted that there are ample funding opportunities available for REDD+ projects from both bilateral and multilateral sources although their access by countries is still challenging

Stages of REDD+

REDD+ is a UNFCCC financing model targeting greenhouse gas reduction by addressing deforestation and forest degradation in developing nations across three phases: readiness, implementation, and payment for results.

Developing countries can access support from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) for activities spanning these phases, potentially qualifying for payments based on achieved results.

REDD+, or Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation, alongside conservation efforts, sustainable forest management, and forest carbon stock enhancement, enables payments to developing countries as an incentives for their efforts in  tackling climate change by safeguarding and improving their forest ecosystems.

Uganda's REDD+ focal point, Bob Kazungu, highlights success stories of REDD+ initiatives, pointing to examples within Uganda. These include the protection and preservation of game reserves, forest reserves, national parks, and efforts to enhance carbon stocks.

“… that have actually been managed very well with all the requirements for fire protection and prevention that’s part of sustainable forest management– a benefit accruing from REDD+ implementation.”

According to the Senior Programs Officer at African Forest Forum, Professor Marie Louis Avana, the workshop's objective is to disseminate and confirm significant findings from the national consultations, foster peer-to-peer exchange of insights, collaboratively develop exemplary approaches that could be customized to address the unique capacity requirements of African countries, and enhance effectiveness in the execution of REDD+ initiatives.

“Based on previous assessment we did at AFF, we had information relating to some gaps in implementing REDD+ in Africa, we were guided through this partnership to conduct an update in countries on REDD+ status,” she said.

The outcomes of the national consultations were disseminated and confirmed through the involvement of various stakeholder groups, providing practical insights to propel the REDD+ agenda of countries forward.

Professor Avana emphasized that identified capacity and knowledge gaps are being prioritized for future intervention by African Forest Forum (AFF) and UN-REDD.

Background of the workshop

Many African countries are engaged in the REDD+ initiative, but only a few number have progressed to phase 3, qualifying them for results-based payments. Despite disparities in performance, participating countries have demonstrated diverse experiences, approaches, and challenges in various aspects of REDD+, including financing, carbon markets, social inclusion, deforestation-free agriculture, and governance frameworks for benefit distribution.

A comprehensive assessment of REDD+ implementation in African countries has been conducted, with national consultants conducting studies in Cote d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Kenya, the Republic of Congo, and Ethiopia.

In response to these findings, a Regional Exchange Workshop has been organized to share and validate key discoveries from national consultations, foster peer-to-peer exchange of experiences, and collaboratively develop best practices to enhance the efficiency of REDD+ implementation.

Over 45 participants from more than 12 African countries, including experts, REDD+ representatives, and technical staff from Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ghana, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Uganda, Togo, Zambia, alongside civil society, academia, private sector groups, and other stakeholders involved in REDD+ implementation in Côte d'Ivoire will participate in the workshop.

The workshop was in partnership with the United Nations Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries (UN-REDD Programme) and African Forest Forum (AFF).