This forum, one of a series of four organized throughout the tropics by ITTO, was realized in collaboration with the Ghana Forestry Commission, World Bank, African Development Bank, and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

The forum was convened to explore ways to improve the relative attractiveness of private and/or institutional investments in natural tropical forests in West and Central Africa, with due regard to the inclusion of African small and medium enterprises in the promotion of sustainable forestry.

The objective of the forum was to increase the level of understanding of the opportunities and constraints to investment in natural tropical forests, how these may vary across the sector, and what types of tools and incentives (e.g. risk management or payment for ecosystem services) are available or needed to promote responsible investment

The forum received high level inputs from the Vice-president of Ghana (H. E. Alhaji Aliu Mahama) and relevant government ministers from Cameroon, Gabon, Republic of Congo and Ghana. Papers were also prepared and presented by the World Bank, the United Nations Forum on Forests, the African Development Bank, and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Over 180 participants attended the forum, including high level technocrats from West and Central African governments, private industry representatives, international donor agencies, as well as international NGOs and global environmental governance institutions.

The proceedings of the forum and all related presentations/papers are available on-line (below) or on request from the ITTO Secretariat.