CAFI launches a series of innovative facilities aiming to reinforce capacities and attract new investments to drive sustainable development in Central Africa

26 October 2023 (Brazzaville, Republic of Congo) – The Central African Forest Initiative (CAFI) announced a series of innovative facilities aiming to reinforce capacities and attract new investments to drive sustainable development in Central Africa. The new facilities will complement the growing portfolio of regional projects supported by CAFI.

On the first day of the Three Basins Summit held in Brazzaville, during a side event attended by Prime Minister Anatole Collinet Makosso and Minister of the Environment of Congo-Brazzaville Arlette Soudan-Nonault, CAFI revealed the four new facilities:

• Regional Private Sector Facility

Launched last month and focused on Energy, Agriculture, Forestry and Ecotourism, the Regional Private Sector Facility has set aside 100 million USD in grants that aim to support early project stages and pilot new technologies. For private companies wishing to invest in Central African value chains, this facility can de-risk their investments. Several companies and consortia have already submitted proposals.

• Family Planning Facility

CAFI proposes 70 million USD to increase modern contraceptive prevalence rates in partner countries, ensuring a rights-based approach to contraception that empowers people to make decisions regarding their family planning.

• Regional Technical Assistance Facility

In collaboration with UNOPS, this facility will provide 10 million USD over three years to support CAFI’s partner countries in fulfilling their Paris Agreement and post-2020 biodiversity framework commitments. It includes capacity-building for national and regional entities, improving project execution and knowledge sharing.

• South-South Cooperation Facility

Building on real-world experience and a decade of lessons learned, this collaboration will focus on sharing best practices and establishing partnerships between CAFI’s partner countries and others, such as Costa Rica, where PES, carbon markets, ecotourism and deforestation-free commodity chains have proven successful.

CAFI’s experience in other regional projects, including the Regional Study on Trends and Drivers of Deforestation  with the FAO, the Nature+ Acceleration Fund with the IUCN and the private investment partnership with the &Green Fund and UNCDF, have all demonstrated that both national and regional projects are essential in making progress on objectives related to forest, biodiversity and improving lives and livelihoods. With the addition of new regional facilities spanning these four areas, CAFI recognizes the need to actively promote innovative partnerships, including private, public and civil society actors across the region, as part of the pathway toward sustainable development in Central Africa. 

The Three Basins Summit’s program focuses on bringing together different actors and innovative partnerships to attract attention to additional investments and make real progress in preserving these vital ecosystems.