Strengthening the capacity of Non-State Actors (NSAs) to improve FLEGT-VPA and REDD+ processes in Western Africa

In Western Africa, FLEGT-VPA and REDD+ processes have become main drivers for reforms in forest governance, with both REDD+ and FLEGT-VPA processes currently ongoing in Ghana, Liberia and Côte d’Ivoire. The success of these processes is heavily dependent on the participation of all stakeholders. Every stakeholder has different needs and interests and is impacted differently by decisions made in FLEGT-VPA and REDD+ processes. To be able to include the diversity of concerns and needs as well as strengths of various stakeholders, it is important to involve all stakeholders, including Non-State Actors (NSAs) in these forest governance process. Inclusive governance will promote a sense of ownership of the process by all stakeholders involved and it is more likely to result in an outcome that is supported by everyone which eventually will result in more sustainable outcomes.

Non-State Actors comprise a wide variety of actors within the private sector, civil society and local communities. Currently, effective NSA participation in FLEGT-VPA and REDD+ processes in Western Africa is mostly limited to large forest and timber companies and a handful of international and national NGOs. Some local communities and small and medium forest-based enterprises (SMFEs) have also been targeted by specific projects but the reach and coverage is still far from adequate not only due to their widespread nature but also because of a lack of systematic institutional attention to these groups and an inadequate representation of their organizations in relevant fora and processes, lack of organization, capacities, strategies and means to participate meaningfully in such processes. 

Although the participation of NSAs is important to the success of both forest governance processes, there are several groups that have been barely engaged in the development and implementation of these processes in Western Africa, more so in the case of Cote d’Ivoire and Liberia. Among these groups are SMFEs including community-based forest enterprises, the majority of local NGOs, community-based organizations (CBOs), traditional authorities, women groups, youth groups and forest-dependent communities. This proposal particularly focusses on this category of actors in Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana and Liberia.

The project intends to bridge the gap between the role NSAs ideally would play in forest governance processes in Western Africa and the current situation vis-à-vis the participation of NSAs in FLEGT-VPA and REDD+ processes in Ghana, Liberia and Côte d’Ivoire. The EU NSA project is funded by European Union with overall coordination by Tropenbos International (TBI) and executed in partnership by Nature and Development Foundation (NDF) and Tropenbos Ghana (TBG) in Ghana, Groupe National de Travail pour la Gestion durable des Forets et Certification Forestiers en Cote d’ Ivoire (GNT-CI) in Cote D’Ivoire and Volunteers to Support International Efforts in Developing Africa (VOSIEDA) in Liberia.