𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝟓𝟎 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐧

The Honourable Minister of The Environment & Climate Change, Jiwoh E. Abdulai, has called on local authorities to fully support the ongoing National Forest Inventory (NFI) exercise, stressing its importance for sustainable forest management and climate action.

Speaking at a stakeholder engagement meeting on Monday, 8 September 2025, at Galliness Paradise in Bo, the Honourable Minister said the exercise will assess Sierra Leone’s forest cover, identify areas needing rehabilitation, and position the country to access climate finance. He added that the information gathered will benefit chiefdoms, districts, national institutions, and international partners.

The engagement brought together Paramount Chiefs, Members of Parliament, and Local Council chairmen from Bo, Bonthe, Moyamba, and Pujehun districts.
The NFI is being implemented by the Ministry of The Environment and Climate Change in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), with funding from the European Union. The project, launched in July 2025, seeks to assess and monitor the country’s forest and tree resources, support data-driven forest management, strengthen access to climate finance, and contribute to both community and national economic development.

Provincial Secretary South, Abu Abubakar Kamara, who chaired the meeting, welcomed the initiative and underlined the role of local authorities in environmental management. Senior Permanent Secretary, Elizabeth Ellie, noted that the last national forest inventory was conducted more than 50 years ago, making the current exercise essential. Director of Forestry, Madam Kate Garnett, explained that the activity is strictly for data collection and requires the full cooperation of communities.

FAO Country Representative, Sahid Abubakarr Bancie, commended the Ministry and highlighted the EU’s strategic investment in building national capacity to carry out similar work in the future.

Patrick Abu-Mattia, National Coordinator of the NFI, explained that the mapping is being carried out in clusters across the country. The North/West region has been completed, with the South and Western Rural ongoing, before moving to the East.
Chiefdom and district authorities welcomed the engagement and pledged their support for the data collection exercise and the government’s wider approach to sustainable forest management and climate action.