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CIFOR in West Africa

Africa’s forests are vital for the people of Africa and the global environment.

CIFOR has thus expanded its sub-Saharan activities, with the aim of helping African countries achieve the Millennium Development Goals of:

  • Halving extreme poverty by 2015
  • Reversing forest loss

CIFOR’s successful operations in southern and central Africa extend back to the early 1990s. Its engagement with West Africa increased significantly in 2003 following support for several major research projects from SIDA – the Swedish International Development Agency.

By committing additional resources to set-up a regional office in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, CIFOR is now coordinating and undertaking forest research in both dry and humid West Africa.

West Africa’s ecosystems vary from dense humid forest to the Sahara dessert. They provide crucial livelihood opportunities to local people engaged in a daily fight against poverty.

From the most recent of its regional offices, Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso, CIFOR oversees forest and poverty research in five West African countries. CIFOR also has regional offices in Cameroon, Zimbabwe and Brazil, with its headquarters in Bogor, Indonesia. Map of Africa showing regional offices

CIFOR operates in some 30 countries. Its global research includes three programs:

Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR)
CIFOR advances human wellbeing, environmental conservation and equity by conducting research to inform policies and practices that affect forests in developing countries. CIFOR is one of 15 centres within the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).