Jiwoh E. Abdulai, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, has requested full support from local authorities for the country’s first comprehensive National Forest Inventory (NFI) in more than 50 years. Speaking at a stakeholder engagement meeting on Monday, September 8, 2025, at Galliness Paradise in Bo, the Minister emphasised that the exercise is critical for sustainable forest management, climate action, and the country’s ability to access international climate financing.
Minister Abdulai explained that the NFI will provide a current and accurate assessment of Sierra Leone’s forest cover, identify areas that need rehabilitation, and generate data for chiefdoms, district administrations, national institutions, and development partners. He emphasised the importance of having reliable, up-to-date information on forest and tree resources for informing policy, guiding restoration and conservation efforts, and supporting local and national economic development.
The Southern Region engagement brought together a diverse group of stakeholders, including Paramount Chiefs, Members of Parliament, and Local Council Chairmen from the Bo, Bonthe, Moyamba, and Pujehun districts. Abu Abubakar Kamara, Provincial Secretary South, chaired the meeting and welcomed the inventory initiative, emphasising the critical role that local governments play in environmental stewardship and facilitating community cooperation with field teams.
Senior Permanent Secretary Elizabeth Ellie emphasised the historical significance of the exercise, noting that the last national forest inventory was conducted more than 50 years ago. She stated that the current initiative is long overdue and necessary for modern, evidence-based forest governance.
Madam Kate Garnett, Director of Forestry, clarified that the ongoing activity is solely for data collection; she requested that communities fully cooperate with survey teams and understand that the exercise is not a land-use decision-making process, but rather a mapping and measurement effort to inform future planning. FAO Country Representative Sahid Abubakarr Bancie praised the Ministry’s leadership and thanked the European Union for funding the project, which he says is also building national capacity so Sierra Leone can do similar work on its own in the future.
The NFI’s National Coordinator, Patrick Abu-Mattia, outlined a practical implementation plan that includes mapping in clusters across the country. The North/West region has already been completed; the South and Western Rural regions are currently underway, with the East to follow. At the meeting, chiefdom and district officials expressed their support for the exercise and promised to mobilise communities to work with survey teams, while also applauding the government’s broader approach to sustainable forest management and climate action.
