Dates: 8 September 2026
Venue: Lagos, Nigeria
Organizer: African Forest Forum (AFF), in collaboration with the Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) Champions for Africa Initiative
Contact: Tefera Endalamaw, Resource Mobilization and Development Officer, AFF - T.Endalamaw@landscapealliance.org
Website: www.afforum.org

It will be held in Lagos and will comprise high-level delegates - senior government leaders, business executives, philanthropists, development finance institutions, impact investors, and strategic partners - to deliberate on mobilising strategic partnerships and catalytic investment for Africa's forest economy. Africa's forests cover approximately 637 million hectares (16% of the world's forest area) and support more than 400 million livelihoods. Yet, the continent loses nearly 4 million hectares of forest annually to deforestation, degradation, and chronic underinvestment. The Roundtable frames this as a shift from fragmented project financing toward long-term, catalytic investment, bringing governments, private capital, philanthropy, and development finance institutions around a shared vision for sustainable forest management and green growth.

Objectives

1. Present the AFTF: Introduce the vision, investment case, and funding architecture of the African Forestry Trust Fund (AFTF), AFF's flagship financing mechanism under the SFM Champions for Africa Initiative.
2. Mobilize Capital: Explore financial pledges, co-financing, and strategic partnerships with the private sector and philanthropic community.
3. Build Value Chains: Develop strategic partnerships for forest-based value chains and green industrialisation.
4. Advance Inclusion: Create opportunities for youth employment and rural livelihoods and strengthen women's economic participation.
5. Build a Coalition: Establish a private-sector coalition committed to forest-positive business practices across Africa.

Expected Outcomes

• Financial pledges and co-financing commitments toward the African Forestry Trust Fund.
• A developing pipeline of investable forest projects across sustainable forest management, restoration, and biodiversity enterprises.
• New strategic partnerships between AFF, government, private sector, and development finance institutions.
• Strengthened African ownership of forestry financing, backed by the African Union Commission and other strategic partners.

The Roundtable is expected to mark a step-change in how Africa's forest economy is financed — moving from traditional fundraising toward long-term public-private co-investment capable of turning forest potential into lasting economic, environmental, and social impact.