The United Kingdom has committed the equivalent of about XAF 6.8 billion (just over £9 million) to bolster scientific capacity across the Congo Basin, with a focus on training researchers who can drive sustainable forest management, conservation and climate resilience planning in Central Africa. The investment supports the Congo Rainforest Alliance for Forest Training for Sustainable Development (CRAFT) programme, a flagship initiative under the broader Congo Basin Science Initiative (CBSI), which runs from 2025 to 2030 and brings together universities and research institutions from the region and the UK.
Under the CRAFT programme, 33 postgraduate researchers, including 21 PhD candidates and 12 Master’s students, from Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon and the Republic of the Congo will receive funding for advanced scientific research placements aimed at strengthening capacity in areas essential to sustainable forest stewardship. Among the first cohort are nine Cameroonian scholars, who were officially sent off at a ceremony at the British Residence in Bastos, Yaoundé, presided over by the British High Commissioner to Cameroon, H.E. Matt Woods.
The CRAFT programme supports research across six thematic observatories, climate, water, vegetation, biodiversity, land use and socio-ecology, with the goal of generating robust, locally driven data to inform policy, conservation strategies and sustainable land-use planning. Locally led research is seen as critical for unlocking economic opportunities linked to forests and for tapping into global climate financing mechanisms. According to a World Bank report, the value of ecosystem services from the Congo Basin’s tropical forests nearly doubled to $1.15 trillion by 2020, highlighting the region’s vast natural capital.
Among the Cameroonian scholars is Chudap Mache Cherifa, a PhD candidate from the University of Yaoundé I, whose research will explore the “Congo Basin rainfall paradox” through a study split between Cameroon and the United Kingdom. Another beneficiary, Kengni Makalla Jules Trevor, a Master of Science student at the University of Dschang, will investigate how trees in cocoa and coffee agroforestry systems affect farmers’ incomes, linking environmental science with rural economic development.
Beyond academic output, the initiative has significant economic implications. Strengthened scientific capacity is expected to facilitate evidence-based policymaking, support sustainable management of forest resources, and help countries in the basin attract investment in areas such as carbon markets, agroforestry value chains and climate adaptation projects. By generating credible research and data, CRAFT scholars are expected to contribute to the region’s ability to implement policies that balance conservation with community livelihoods and economic growth.
The Congo Basin, the world’s second-largest tropical rainforest after the Amazon, spans six countries and plays a vital role in global climate regulation and biodiversity conservation. Strengthening local research and scientific expertise through programmes like CRAFT is part of broader efforts to ensure that forest conservation and sustainable development are rooted in locally relevant knowledge and solutions.
