Date: 27 August 2026, 11:00 AM East Africa Time (EAT)
Venue: Virtual (Zoom)
Organizer: African Forest Forum (AFF), in partnership with the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), under the project "Scaling Youth-Led Climate Innovations for a Greener Africa: Enhancing Compliance with the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) through Sustainable Land Management and Landscape Restoration"
Contact: Tefera Belay, African Forest Forum -T.Endalamaw@landscapealliance.org
Website: www.afforum.org
Registration: Fill out the form

This is the fourth webinar in AFF's series and brings together young people, researchers, policymakers, private-sector actors, and youth-led businesses to examine why Africa's bamboo potential remains largely untapped. Africa holds 4.56 million hectares of bamboo across 48 countries - 12.3% of the world's bamboo resources - yet production and value addition remain underdeveloped. By comparison, China's bamboo sector employs over 29 million people and generates more than US$74 billion annually. With Africa's youth population projected to grow by 132 million by 2030, closing this gap represents a genuine multimillion-job opportunity from a renewable, fast-growing native resource. Presenters from China, Vietnam, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, and Cameroon will share experiences and practical solutions for unlocking bamboo's employment and enterprise potential at scale.

Objectives

1. Examine Barriers: Assess the technological, policy, and market barriers that have limited bamboo value-chain development in Africa to date.
2. Raise Awareness: Explore opportunities for integrating bamboo-based enterprises into land restoration, climate adaptation, and green job creation for youth and communities.
3. Facilitate Dialogue: Convene government, private sector, development partners, and youth groups to identify actionable, scalable solutions.
4. Showcase Models: Present successful bamboo-based business and restoration models from African countries alongside transferable lessons from China and Vietnam.
5. Generate Recommendations: Produce policy recommendations and partnerships to advance the sector.

Expected Outcomes

• Increased stakeholder understanding of the scale and feasibility of bamboo-based green job creation in Africa.
• Increased understanding of bamboo's potential in climate-resilient livelihoods.
• A synthesized set of technical and business lessons for youth to engage or grow existing enterprises.
• Policy recommendations addressing bamboo management, value-addition technology, and enterprise financing.
• Strengthened networks and partnerships among governments, private sector actors, youth entrepreneurs, and development partners.
• A webinar summary document capturing key discussion points and a proposed way forward.

Speakers

• Prof. Labode Popoola — Executive Secretary–CEO, African Forest Forum — Opening Remarks
• Dr. Jinhe Fu (China) — Bamboo Scientist — China's Bamboo Industrialisation: Lessons and Opportunities for Africa
• Dr. Tran Van Hiep (Vietnam) — Market and Value Chain Researcher, CIFOR-ICRAF — Bamboo Business Models of SMEs in Vietnam
• Rene Kaam (Cameroon) — Director, INBAR-Central Africa — The Multiple Roles of Bamboo: From Land Restoration to Livelihoods
• Dr. Zenebe Mekonnen (Ethiopia) — Bamboo and Climate Change Expert, Ethiopian Forest Development — Bamboo for Climate-Resilient Livelihoods: Lessons from Ethiopia's Bamboo Development
• Dr. Charles Kojoo (Uganda) — Bamboo Enterprise Owner-Manager — Bamboo Development in Uganda: Bamboo Business Models That Work for Africa
• Robert Sunya (Kenya) — Private Sector, We Do Bamboo — The Private Sector as an Engine for Bamboo Development: Innovation, Value Chains and Policy Perspectives
• Tefera Belay — African Forest Forum — Moderator

To register, Fill out the form