Building technical capacities to combat deforestation and forest degradation in West Africa
Countries in West Africa are strengthening their technical and institutional capacities to support REDD+ readiness, with assistance from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), through a dedicated training series on Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (MRV). This initiative is crucial for improving forest monitoring, accessing climate finance, and ensuring sustainable land use. Given the increasing global emphasis on climate action, robust monitoring and reporting systems are essential for ensuring transparency and accountability in REDD+ implementation. It is part of FAO’s multicountry Green Climate Fund (GCF) funded Institutional and Technical Support for REDD+ Readiness in West Africa project, supporting Benin, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, and Sierra Leone..
The role of MRV in sustainable forest management
MRV systems play a crucial role in forest management and climate action. They provide transparent, accurate, and consistent data on forest cover, carbon stocks, and emissions, which are essential for measuring progress towards climate commitments under the Paris Agreement. The Warsaw Framework for REDD+ establishes guidelines for MRV systems to ensure reliable reporting and verification of emissions reductions. Robust MRV systems enable countries to access international climate finance, track REDD+ activities, and support sustainable forest policies. By strengthening their MRV capacities, West African countries are ensuring that their forest data meets international standards, enhances accountability, and informs decision-making for conservation and sustainable land use.
Advancing REDD+ readiness in West Africa
Despite its critical role in ensuring transparency and accountability in forest management, none of the project countries had fully reported all Warsaw Framework elements as of June 2024, preventing them from being listed in the REDD+ Information Hub. This highlights the urgent need to enhance MRV systems to improve data accuracy, support sustainable forest governance, and enable access to climate finance.
To bridge this gap, the two-year FAO-GCF project, launched in May 2025, is supporting Benin, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, and Sierra Leone in fulfilling the Warsaw Framework for REDD+ requirements. The project focuses on strengthening National Forest Monitoring Systems (NFMS), Forest Reference Emission Levels (FREL), Safeguard Information Systems (SIS), and REDD+ strategy development, ensuring that countries can meet international standards for forest monitoring and reporting.
With FAO’s support, these countries are reinforcing their technical, institutional, and governance capacities, while fostering knowledge exchange and regional collaboration under the UNFCCC Paris Agreement.
A key component of the project is developing national capacities for MRV system development and NFMS implementation. FAO designed a six-month blended learning journey in collaboration with the FAO/GEF CBIT-Forest II project. This training methodology - combining webinars, e-learning, and hands-on workshops – is set to ensure knowledge retention and stakeholder engagement. The training was structured into three phases:
- Introductory webinar (July 2024) – covering UNFCCC reporting requirements and NFMS assessment.
- Regional workshop (November 2024, Conakry, Guinea) – delivering an in-depth training of trainers on MRV, FREL, and NFMS.
- In-country training sessions (January–March 2025) – engaging local trainers to transfer knowledge through national workshops.
Phase 1: Introductory webinar on MRV and NFMS assessment
In July 2024, FAO launched the first phase with an online webinar, introducing UNFCCC reporting requirements and guiding participants in conducting an NFMS assessment. The webinar was attended by 58 participants from Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Benin, and Sierra Leone. To enhance engagement, FAO encouraged participants to complete self-paced e-learning courses, with the opportunity to earn digital badge certifications. A training needs assessment was conducted, gathering responses from 43 stakeholders to refine learning objectives.
Phase 2: Regional 'Training of Trainers' workshop in Guinea
©FAO / Ghislaine Gill
In November 2024, FAO held a three-day in-person training in Conakry, Guinea, aimed at strengthening the MRV capacities of representatives from the four project countries.
The workshop, attended by 13 participants (32% female), was opened by Alpha Amadou Djalon, Technical Assistant for the National Designated Authority (NDA-GCF) at the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, who noted that participation of workshop participants “demonstrates a commitment to reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries". This training of trainers will enable participants to familiarise themselves with the international reports of the UNFCCC and the evaluation of the national forest monitoring system. It is a first in programmes aimed at strengthening the technical capacities of the managers and technicians appointed to these positions”. The training covered:
- FREL as a benchmark for assessing REDD+ results and unlocking results-based payments.
- NFMS development to ensure robust, transparent forest data.
- Country presentations on REDD+ readiness progress.
On the final day, FAO’s MRV technical experts facilitated hands-on NFMS assessment and institutional mapping exercises to strengthen national implementation strategies.
Phase 3: In-Country Trainings for Local Capacity Building
© Keifala Lahai
Following the regional training, national FAO MRV technical experts led in-country workshops, applying the “training of trainers” model to ensure knowledge transfer to national stakeholders.
Sierra Leone became the first country to host its national training in Kenema (in January 2025), bringing together 35 participants for a two-day workshop. The workshop was delivered by the national MRV consultants with support from international MRV consultants to address the questions from participants during the Q&A. The participants highlighted the training’s value in advancing REDD+ readiness, improving forest monitoring, and fulfilling international reporting obligations. Similar in-country workshops are planned for Guinea (March 2025), Guinea-Bissau (2025), and Benin (2025).
Building a foundation for long-term impact
Step by step this initiative is transforming forest data transparency and enhancing national ownership of REDD+ processes in the region. By equipping West African countries with the technical skills and tools needed for accurate MRV and NFMS implementation, FAO is ensuring that these nations are better positioned to access climate finance, report emissions reductions, and support sustainable forest management.
The project will continue to run until August 2025, reinforcing long-term technical and institutional capacity development, governance improvements, and cross-country collaboration in West Africa.
Contact:
Lucio Santos
Forestry Officer
Halting Deforestation, Degradation and Emissions Team,
FAO Forestry Division
Ghislaine Gill
Forest Monitoring Specialist
Forest Monitoring and Data Platform Team
FAO Forestry Division