National plan for dev't of non-timber forest products: Forestry ministry, German cooperation…evaluate strides, recommit to attaining phase three target.

The fresh commitment was taken during a one-day workshop jointly organised by the forestry ministry and the GIZ in Mbankomo on the outskirts of Yaounde, on Wednesday, May 15.

Focus was on the implementation of the national plan which targets the djangsang, bush mangos, neem, shea and other non-timber forest products and their effective integration into the economic chain. 

The implementation has been supported by the Forest Environment Climate Project, GIZ/ProFEC, and its predecessors since 2012. 

ProFEC is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, BMZ, and executed by GIZ.

The Mbankomo workshop was launched by the Secretary General at the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife, Joseph Nyongwen. 

This was in the presence of the Technical Advisor for Non-Timber Forest Products Value Chain Development at GIZ, Olivier Tancrède, who lauded the engagement of the ministry and the entire non-timber forest products scheme.

Participants included representatives of ministries, local authorities, civil society organisations, technical and financial partners and non-timber forest products cooperatives.

The workshop was notably to publicize the third phase of the development plan and to present the evaluation report on the second edition. 

The evaluation report on the second phase which ran from 2018 to 2022 was detailed to evaluate if recommendations made were respected.

There was also the drafting and presentation of recommendations to be applied in the next five years of the implementation of phase three which covers from 2024 to 2028. 

Massive progress registered

It was disclosed during the workshop that 74% of the overall target of the second phase was met with just 18% not attained and eight percent partially met.

While evaluating the second phase, authorities cited the increase in number of registered actors operating in the sector from 20 in 2017 to 70 by 2022, as one of the biggest indicators of the progress that has been recorded. 

The authorities said the impacts of such progress was also immediately felt on the Cameroonian economy. They said between 2019 and 2022, the average annual tax revenue generated by the exploitation of non-timber forest products and special products stood at some 330.9 million FCFA, representing an increase of 267%, compared to the value of the reference situation in 2017, which was 90 million FCFA.

No room for relaxation despite satisfactory result

Speaking to the press during the gathering, the Service Head for the Promotion and Processing of Non-Timber Forest Products, Noumou Régine Flore, said actors involved in the implementation chain are pleased by the remarkable successes recorded. 

She, however, described the workshop as a crucial gathering that further sets the stage for more results to be recorded through more coordinated efforts. 

Noumou said officials are still focused on improving the regulation of the sector through the registration of operators and the creation of links between operators, authorities and the market. 

“This would also allow the State to tap the benefits that the industry provides and equally enable the collectors to receive improved benefits. When collectors operate illegally, they also have difficulties with their products. That is why we are fighting against illegality,” she added.

Per Noumo, a proper regulation will also provide the platform for the introduction of tools for the transformation of the products.  She said such adjustments make the products more competitive in the international market and plays a crucial role in the import substitution chain in Cameroon.

“That is what we want to make the operators in the sectors to understand. There is a whole action on the promotion of transformation. We want to promote the more advanced transformation of the non-timber forest products,” she stated.

Major innovations for third phase 

According to authorities, the implementation of the third phase is particularly concentrated on three major innovations. They mentioned controlled opening up of a sub-regional market particularly linking Cameroon with Nigeria which has positioned non-timber forest products as a strong instrument for inclusive growth and regional integration. 

Another major innovation is the structuring of players in the chain of non-timber forest products through the creation of inter-professions by promoting shared governance between economic operators and public administrations.

The third key innovation involves the establishment of central purchasing markets, a tool for regulation and the promotion of transparency that enables local producers to fully benefit from the income generated through marketing. 

The adjustments, officials said, are expected to position green and equitable economy at the heart of the priorities of authorities in the third implementation phase as it develops local resources and community know-how.

“The creation of a non-timber forest products market is to regulate and organize the market because we realized that foreigners, including Nigerians, have access to resources here at the national level, right at the level of villages,” Noumo said. 

“When foreigners access our collectors, they pre-finance their activity and later impose their own price on them as a form of self-compensation. Creating the shopping centers through the markets will allow our national operators to have a hand on the trade, and set their own prices and have the advantages that they deserve,” she detailed.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3450 of Friday May 16, 2025