Stakeholders from Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, and Ghana gathered in Abidjan from 8–10 June 2026 for the West Africa Regional Forest Investment Program (FIP) Close-Out Workshop, according to a press release by the African Development Bank Group (AfDB). The event was organized in partnership with the Climate Investment Funds and the World Bank. It brought together approximately 50 participants, including government representatives, project teams, local communities, civil society, private sector, and development partners. The workshop reviewed achievements, documented lessons learned, and charted the way forward for sustainable forest management. It formally concluded the Investment Plans of Burkina Faso and Ghana while reviewing Côte d’Ivoire’s ongoing roll-out.
The FIP in the three countries represents more than a decade of efforts to restore degraded landscapes, strengthen climate resilience, and improve livelihoods. The portfolio comprises 13 projects with $163 million in FIP financing and more than $231 million in co-financing. Burkina Faso is the only Sahelian country participating in FIP. Côte d’Ivoire has used FIP resources to implement its National Policy on Forest Preservation, Rehabilitation, and Action (2018) and the Forestry Code adopted in 2019. Ghana has focused on landscape-scale solutions and reducing emissions from deforestation.
In Burkina Faso, the Gazetted Forests Participatory Management Project for REDD+ ($12.5 million) and the Climate Change Mitigation and Poverty Reduction through the Development of the Cashew Sector Project ($10.97 million) reforested 3,027 hectares and secured 94,013 hectares for sustainable forest management. More than 380,000 people benefited from improved livelihoods, and over 6.5 million tons of CO₂ equivalent were reduced or avoided. In Ghana, two projects worth $13.96 million and $46.70 million placed 42,652 hectares under sustainable forest management and created more than 2,700 green jobs. Côte d’Ivoire is implementing the Forest Cover Recovery and Resilience Improvement Project ($29.84 million) with additional financing of $24.7 million. Expected results include 7 million tons of CO₂ emissions avoided over 25 years and a 25% increase in rural incomes.
Al Hamndou Dorsouma, Manager for Climate and Green Growth at the African Development Bank Group, said the workshop marked an important opportunity for accountability and learning.
“The exemplary partnership between our institutions and the three countries —Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, and Ghana—reflects our shared commitment to tackling land degradation and climate change.” Parfait Kouadio, Director of Cabinet, Ministry of Environment of Côte d’Ivoire, emphasized the value of collective action.
Emmanuel Kouadio, Lead, Partner Country Engagement of the Climate Investment Funds, noted the diversity of challenges across the three countries. Camille Quénard, CIF Gender Specialist at the African Development Bank, stressed that women’s leadership must remain central to future investments.
The close-out workshop highlighted gender equality, social inclusion, stakeholder engagement, and just transition principles as key to lasting results. FIP-supported investments expanded opportunities for women through sustainable value chains, training, and access to finance. Together, the three FIP investment plans contributed to more than 27 million tons of CO₂ equivalent reduced, avoided, or sequestered. The investments strengthened livelihoods, resilience, and sustainable land management across West Africa. Ensuring that women, youth, and local communities remain at the center of climate and forest investments will be critical to sustaining transformational change.