Countries

Administration
The mandate for forestry in Nigeria has moved from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture to the Federal Ministry of Environment. Forestry is administered at three levels: the Federal Department of Forestry in Abuja; 36 state forestry departments; and 774 local councils. The forestry sector has about 510 professionals and more than 4 000 personnel in the technical and subtechnical cadre. The Federal Department of Forestry is mandated to propose policies, to oversee forestry administration nationwide, and to coordinate forestry development; it is not, however, an executing agency. Thus, state forestry departments deal with the management, development and protection and conservation of forest resources.

The Federal Environmental Protection Agency (FEPA), which was expanded in 1992 to integrate environmental concerns into development, was eliminated in the last quarter of 1999 and fused into the new Ministry of Environment, of which the Federal Department of Forestry is also a part. The Natural Resources Conservation Council (NARESCON), the apex conservation body which was merged with FEPA in 1993, has become a department in the new ministry. The National Environmental Action Plan (NEAP) is currently being implemented interdepartmentally in the Ministry of Environment.

At the federal level, the Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria (FRIN) has the mandate for research in all aspects of forestry, wildlife and forest product utilization. Also at the federal level, the National Parks Service (NPS) is responsible for the management of national parks, which are not delegated to the states.

Other institutions
Professional-level forestry education is offered at several universities, including the University of Ibadan, the Federal University of Technology at Akure, Uthman Fodio University at Sokoto, the Federal University of Agriculture at Abeokuta, the Federal University of Agriculture at Umudike and the University of Benin.

Technical and subtechnical training is undertaken by FRIN, with traditional forestry colleges at Ibadan and Jos, a forest mechanization college at Afaka near Kaduna, and a wildlife college at New Bussa. The Federal Department of Forestry also offers vocational courses in forestry at Kano, in forest utilization at Benin and in management at Oluwa.

International activities
Nigeria is a key member of the African Timber Organization (ATO) and joined the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) in 1998.

The most recent forestry programmes approved by the National Executive Council for implementation are the four-year (2000-2003) National Forestry Development Programme, which aims at establishing forest plantations through community participation, and the Afforestation Programme for environmental management. Implementation of the former was stalled owing to unavailability of funds, and it has been extended to 2007.

Nigeria has benefited from donor support and international cooperation in many forestry projects. The principal ones are:

• Afforestation Project: African Development Bank (ADB) 1987-2000;
• on-going Forest Policy and Legislation Review: Ford Foundation funded
• on-going Micro-Watershed Management: World Bank funded;
• on-going joint programme on management of natural forest in Cross-River State of the Department for International Development (DFID-UK), the Official Development Assistance (ODA-US) and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) programme .