FG, FAO To Strengthen Forest Management

The federal government has launched a new collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations and the Global Forest Observations Initiative (GFOI) to bolster sustainable forest management and enhance forest monitoring systems.

The initiative, “Accelerating Innovative Monitoring for Forests” (AIM4Forests), is designed to address both technical and institutional gaps in Nigeria’s National Forest Monitoring System (NFMS), improve the country’s capacity for forest data collection and climate reporting and lay the groundwork for potential access to international carbon finance mechanisms.

In a statement issued by the FAO communication specialist, Nigeria, David Tsoker, the partnership was formally introduced at an Abuja workshop following months of stakeholder engagements between FAO and the Federal Ministry of Environment’s Forestry Department.

The workshop brought together key stakeholders from federal and state government agencies, civil society, academia, and international partners to assess the strengths and weaknesses of Nigeria’s current forest monitoring frameworks.

Discussions centred around enhancing Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) systems and aligning national efforts with global climate standards and REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) implementation.

Declaring the workshop open, national REDD+ coordinator, Dr Moses Ama, emphasised the collective responsibility of all stakeholders in ensuring sustainable forest management.

“As the UNFCCC focal point, the National Council on Climate Change, along with ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), state forestry bodies, civil society, and academia, will play an indispensable role in this process.”

Ama said, ” I encourage all stakeholders to engage openly, contribute their expertise, and collaboratively chart a path forward that reflects our shared priorities and ambitions.”

Using FAO’s NFMS assessment tool, participants identified gaps in institutional arrangements, technical infrastructure, and data verification processes within Nigeria’s current forest monitoring system.

Briefing the FAO country representative, Dr Hussein Gadain, the technical team highlighted the strategic importance of robust forest monitoring systems for achieving Nigeria’s climate and conservation goals.

Dr Gadain emphasised the value of institutional assessments in building a reliable national system:

“A thorough gap assessment of institutional arrangements and MRV capacity is essential to identify weaknesses and opportunities for strengthening Nigeria’s forest monitoring system.

He said that with improved accuracy, transparency, and effectiveness in forest data management, Nigeria will be better positioned to report internationally and benefit from emerging climate finance opportunities.