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in Central Africa

Our approach

The Congo Basin is the world’s second-largest rainforest, rich in biodiversity and home to over 75 million people who depend on its resources. Its forests play a crucial role in regulating regional climate and sustaining livelihoods. But increasing forest loss – driven mainly by small-scale farming and fuel demand – is putting both people and nature under pressure.

There is a major opportunity to scale forest-friendly development in backing investable, deforestation-free business models that connect economic growth with forest protection.

Central Africa’s Congo Basin is home to one of the world’s most vital forest ecosystems, but the region has historically attracted far less forest and nature finance than the Amazon and Southeast Asia, leaving early‑stage enterprises with limited access to capital and community forest management schemes under‑resourced.

To address these challenges, we are taking a two-pronged approach in the region to unlock economic opportunity while protecting the forests at the heart of Central Africa’s development:

Strengthening market systems: we are working to build the infrastructure and support networks needed for forest-friendly businesses to grow, scale, and thrive.
Incubating forest-friendly enterprises: By nurturing promising ventures, we aim to attract private investment and create the right conditions for sustainable business models to scale

We’re aiming to support forest-friendly businesses – from small enterprises to large corporate partnerships – across six key sectors: cocoa, oil palm, coffee, non-timber forest products, fuelwood and charcoal, and carbon and biodiversity credits. Our strategy focuses on improving market access, investment readiness, and digital tools, while also strengthening governance, land rights, and finance to create the conditions for sustainable growth.

We will focus on businesses in six priority sectors – cocoa, oil palm, coffee, non-timber forest products (NTFPs), fuelwood and charcoal, and carbon and biodiversity credits – to address deforestation and support sectors with strong potential for inclusive, sustainable development.

To complement this work, we are strengthening public policy, governance, and access to appropriate finance, and leveraging technology to enhance traceability and transparency. These efforts aim to create the enabling conditions for forest-friendly business models to thrive – from grassroots enterprises to large-scale corporate partnerships.

Building on impact

Our regional approach builds on lessons from Phase I of P4F’s work in West and Central Africa (2016–2024), which focused on reducing deforestation through production–protection schemes, restoration of degraded areas and integrated landscape management. Phase I demonstrated the value of collaborative partnerships, multi-stakeholder platforms and inclusive governance – insights that now guide Phase II as we scale impact and unlock greater investment. In this phase, our work in Central Africa recognises the distinct challenges and opportunities of the region, and places a stronger emphasis on fostering economic opportunities that safeguard the Congo Basin’s vital forests.