On May 21, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) signed a Record of Discussions (R/D) with the government of the Republic of Cameroon in Yaounde, the capital of the country, agreeing to an implementation framework for the technical cooperation project “Landscape Restoration in the Agriculture and Forest Sector for Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation”. Discussions (R/D). The R/D was signed by Mr. Pierre Helle, Minister of Environment, Nature Conservation and Sustainable Development of the Republic of Cameroon, Mr. Alamine Usman May, Minister of Economy, Planning and Land Development, and Mr. Masakatsu Okumoto, Director of JICA Cameroon Office.
Cameroon is a constituent country of the Congo Basin, which is said to be one lung of the earth along with the tropical Amazon. This project aims to strengthen the capacity of communities and government officials in sustainable forest management through the restoration of savanna and forest landscapes and the implementation of agroforestry activities for cocoa production with zero deforestation. The country is the world’s sixth largest producer of cocoa [1], and its increased production is one of the main causes of deforestation. The realization of cacao production without deforestation through this project will not only contribute to global issues such as climate change countermeasures and biodiversity conservation, but will also be indispensable for the stable supply of cacao-related products to Japan and the rest of the world.
[1] FAOSTAT 2024
A summary of the business is as follows
Landscape restoration projects in the agriculture and forest sectors that contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation
Project for Landscape Restoration and Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation in Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use
Country (region covered)
Republic of Cameroon Central Province (including Yaounde), Northern Province
Business Objectives
The project will plan and implement agroforestry in the Central and Northern Provinces of Cameroon, focusing on restoration of degraded savanna and forest landscapes and cocoa production with zero deforestation, thereby strengthening the capacity of communities and government officials in charge of sustainable forest management, and Contribute to increasing the forest area and promoting activities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Cameroon.
Scheduled implementation period
48 months
Implementing Agency
Ministry of Environment, Nature Conservation and Sustainable Development
Contribution to the SDGs
Goal 2 (zero hunger)
Goal 13 (take concrete action on climate change)
Goal 15 (Let’s also protect the abundance of land)
© Source JICA