By Etienne Mainimo Mengnjo
Environmental leaders from across Africa have outlined strategies to promote the sustainable management of the continent’s biodiversity and ecosystems through data-driven approaches. This was the outcome of a three-day event held from October 8 to 11 in Dakar, Senegal.
The First Annual Meeting of the Regional Centers of Excellence for Biodiversity and Forests in Africa brought together 50 participants from governments, donors, multilateral organizations, regional bodies, research institutions, and other key environmental stakeholders.
The aim was to develop a transformative roadmap for the sustainable management of Africa’s vast environmental resources and rich biodiversity, including forests, water bodies, and wildlife.
Stakeholders stressed the need to ensure that Africa’s forests, ecosystems, and biodiversity are sustainably managed. This will enable them to continue providing essential services, such as food, water, fuel, and shelter, that contribute to the well-being of local populations while supporting rapid economic growth and development across the continent.
Speaking during the opening ceremony, Prof. Daouda Ngom, Senegal’s Minister of Environment and Ecological Transition, expressed Senegal’s gratitude for hosting the first Annual Meeting of the Regional Centers of Excellence for Biodiversity and Forests in Africa.
He added, “This is a great initiative that will enable African countries to access quality data and share best practices for the effective management of the continent’s environmental resources, forests, biodiversity, and ecosystems, which are vital for our well-being and economic development.”
Jean-Marc Pisani, Ambassador and Head of the European Union Delegation to Senegal, stated, “This Regional Centers of Excellence initiative seeks to strengthen the Africa-EU partnership on science, technology, and innovation, with a special focus on the science-policy interface.”
He added, “We are committed to enhancing the technical capacity of the centers to deliver data, knowledge, and expertise across thematic areas that include biodiversity, forests, food security, agroecology, water, oceans, as well as climate and disaster resilience.”
Peter Minang, CIFOR-ICRAF Director for Africa, highlighted the numerous threats facing Africa’s rich biodiversity and ecosystems, such as deforestation, land degradation, climate change, human-wildlife conflict, and environmental pollution. He emphasized that the Regional Centers of Excellence are crucial for the continent as they will enable the development of data-driven solutions to address these challenges.
Dr. Cheikh Mbow, Director General of the CSE (Senegal), noted that the Ecological Monitoring Center has the privilege of hosting the Centre of Excellence for Biodiversity and Ecosystems in West Africa. He expressed the center’s eagerness to collaborate with other centers of excellence in Africa to actively contribute to the monitoring and implementation of global biodiversity commitments, particularly through the implementation of National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans.
The Regional Centers of Excellence initiative is funded by the European Union and implemented by the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF) in collaboration with the Ecological Monitoring Centre (CSE) in West Africa, the Central Africa Forest Observatory (OFAC) in Central Africa, and the Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD) in Eastern and Southern Africa, among other partners.
The Regional Centers of Excellence program supports three units in Africa, based in West Africa, Central Africa, and Eastern and Southern Africa. The centers are hosted by CSE, OFAC, and RCMRD respectively.
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