NewsINBAR joins 2025 Climate and Innovation Conference in Côte d’Ivoire
Bamboo spotlighted as a climate-smart solution for forest restoration and sustainable development in Abidjan.
The first edition of a high-level conference on Climate Change and Innovation: Sharing Solutions took place in Abidjan, the capital of Côte d’Ivoire, from 12 to 13 June 2025. The Conference was organized by the Ministry of Water and Forests and the Ministry of Environment, Sustainable Development and Ecological Transition with support from the German Development Cooperation (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit-GIZ). The Prime Minister of Côte d’Ivoire H.E. Robert Beugré Mambé opened the Conference.
The Acting Regional Director for INBAR’s West Africa Regional Office (WARO), Mr. Michael Kwaku, represented INBAR at the Conference. At a multi-stakeholder panel session on “Technological and climate-smart solutions for sustainable reforestation and resilient forest management,” Kwaku highlighted in his presentation the untapped potential of bamboo as an invaluable plant resource in forest restoration due to its rapid growth, soil-enhancing properties, carbon sequestration ability and potential for value-added products. Emphasizing bamboo’s role as part of a sustainable development toolkit, he said “Bamboo represents a sustainable nature-based solution that combines ecological regeneration with socioeconomic benefits, thus contributing to both ecosystem restoration and community resilience in the face of climate challenges.”
Many INBAR Member States such as Ghana have made notable progress in strengthening their bamboo value chain. Unfortunately, this sector remains underdeveloped and nascent in Côte d’Ivoire. As part of the country’s strategy to enhance the value of its forest products and achieve its forest landscape restoration objectives, the Ghanaian experience using bamboo and rattan could be a useful roadmap for Côte d’Ivoire and other countries in West Africa.
On the sidelines of the conference, Kwaku had a brief meeting with the Director of Cabinet at the Ministry of Water and Forests during which he echoed that the deforestation and degradation of forest ecosystems in Côte d’Ivoire are major challenges for the long-term resilience of societies and economies. He called on utilizing and promoting bamboo and rattan resources as parts of sustainable forest management and reforestation schemes, which are key levers for combating climate change, restoring ecosystems and promoting biodiversity. INBAR stands ready to support and collaborate with Côte d’Ivoire to achieve them.
