The United Kingdom has committed more than £9 million (about XAF 6.8 billion or US$10.3 million) to strengthen scientific capacity in the Congo Basin, with nine Cameroonian students selected for the first cohort of postgraduate research placements under the Congo Rainforest Alliance for Forest Training for Sustainable Development (CRAFT).
The scholarships are part of the wider Congo Basin Science Initiative (CBSI), which seeks to bolster forest conservation, climate resilience, and sustainable economic development across Central Africa. The programme, financed by the UK’s International Development arm, will run from 2025 to 2030 and will support 33 postgraduate researchers 21 PhD candidates and 12 Master’s students from Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, and the Republic of Congo.
CRAFT connects universities and research institutions in Central Africa and the United Kingdom to deepen expertise across six thematic observatories: climate, water, vegetation, biodiversity, land use, and socio-ecology. By fostering locally led research in these areas, the initiative aims to generate reliable data to inform policy, conservation strategies, and sustainable land-use planning.
Officials emphasised that building local scientific capacity has economic as well as environmental implications. Robust research is essential to unlock forest-linked revenue, access climate financing, and develop sustainable land-use value chains. According to a 2025 World Bank report, the value of ecosystem services provided by Congo Basin forests nearly doubled from US$590 billion in 2000 to US$1.15 trillion in 2020, while total forest asset value increased from US$11.4 trillion to US$23.2 trillion over the same period.
CRAFT scholars are expected to contribute to these outcomes by generating data and evidence that can support investments in sustainable forest management, carbon markets, agroforestry, and other ecosystem services. Their work will also enable Cameroon and neighbouring countries to mobilise climate finance and implement evidence-based policies aimed at curbing deforestation while supporting community livelihoods.
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The programme ensures that research outputs are closely linked to policy and practice. Policymakers, local communities, and partners in the Congo Basin Forest Partnership have committed to using CRAFT findings to inform conservation strategies, climate resilience planning, and regional development initiatives. Continued investment in scientific training is viewed as critical for enhancing the region’s capacity to engage with global climate finance mechanisms and to develop homegrown solutions to environmental and economic challenges.
The nine Cameroonian scholars were formally sent off at a ceremony held at the British Residence in Bastos, Yaoundé, presided over by British High Commissioner Matt Woods. They will conduct Master’s and PhD research focused on the Congo Basin, splitting their studies between Cameroon and the United Kingdom.
Among the beneficiaries, Chudap Mache Cherifa, a PhD candidate at the University of Yaoundé I, will undertake a three-year study on the “Congo Basin rainfall paradox: vertical profile of regional circulation over the Congo Basin.” Another scholar, Kengni Makalla Jules Trevor, a Master of Science student at the University of Dschang, will examine the “Impact of trees in agroforestry systems for cocoa and coffee on farmers’ incomes.”
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Analysts note that in Cameroon, where fiscal pressures are widening the budget deficit even as economic growth is projected to rise moderately in 2026, external financing for research and capacity building can complement national efforts. The CRAFT programme provides a model for integrating scientific capacity development with economic and environmental priorities, enabling the country to pursue sustainable development without undermining its natural capital.
The initiative underscores the UK’s ongoing engagement in the Congo Basin, highlighting the intersection of science, conservation, and economic development in one of the world’s largest tropical forest regions. By equipping a new generation of researchers, CRAFT aims to strengthen evidence-based policymaking and support long-term forest stewardship in Central Africa.
