Following IITA Forest Center’s impactful contributions to forest restoration in Africa, the Ogun State Ministry of Forestry has committed to further community-based reforestation programs and activities. On 1 February, IITA Forest Center signed another Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to reforest additional 300 hectares of the Olokemeji Forest Reserve to implement the AFR100 reforestation project. This followed the successful implementation of an ongoing reforestation project in the area—a tripartite public-private partnership between Nigerian Breweries, Ogun State Ministry of Forestry, and IITA Forest Center, to reforest over 600 hectares of the Olokemeji Forest Reserve.
The new project is funded by the TerraFund for AFR100—a conglomerate effort of World Resource Institute (WRI), One Tree Planted, and Realize Impact. IITA Forest Center made the top 100 African (AFR100) enterprises and projects who won the grant to contribute to the donor’s goal of restoring 20 million hectares of forest lands in Africa, by 2026. The Forest Center approached the Ogun State Ministry of Forestry to request for more land to reforest, and in less than two years from an initial MoU signed with the Nigerian Breweries to reforest 600 hectares of Olokemeji Forest Reserve, another agreement was signed.
The event was attended by Directors of the Ogun State Ministry of Forestry, invitees from selected NGOs, the Baale of Olokemeji, the host community, representatives of IITA, and members of the press. In his welcome address, the Ogun State Ministry of Forestry Permanent Secretary, Dr Rotimiolu Akinlesi, thanked everyone who plants a tree to ameliorate the climate crisis and reverse forest degradation worldwide. According to him, “If you plant a tree, you are saving a life.” He assured IITA Forest Center of the uttermost cooperation of the Ministry in fulfilling its part of the agreed partnership.
The Honorable Commissioner for Forestry, Engineer Taiwo Oludotun, was pleased to have IITA come on board again to partner with the Ministry in achieving the goal of reforesting the degraded forests in Ogun State. He said, “Today is a remarkable day and we are full of joy. Of the nine Forest Reserves in Ogun State, two to three have gone into extinction. The rate of exploitation of our forests in recent times is alarming. We’ve sought the engagements of NGOs and other corporate bodies to join hands with us to plant trees in our fallow lands and restore our degraded forests.” He revealed that one of the priorities of his administration is to plant trees—indigenous trees—that will boost the livelihoods and improve the living conditions of the people of Ogun State. He lauded IITA for their competent handling of these reforestation projects and assured the Institute of more lands for reforestation purposes as much as the Institute requires.
IITA Deputy Director General, Corporate Services (DDG-CS), Hilde Koper-Limbourg, gave a brief history of IITA’s contributions beyond agricultural development to environmental protection and natural resources conservation. She said, “Nigeria is losing a lot of trees, and we have to do something. We’ve got grants to plant trees and we have to plant them somewhere. And that led us here.” She thanked the Commissioner and Ogun State Ministry of Forestry for their continued support and solicited further backing from everyone present to drive the project’s success.
Contributed by Folake Oduntan
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