25TH SESSION OF THE AFRICAN FORESTRY AND WILDLIFE COMMISSION (AFWC25) AND THE 9TH AFRICAN FORESTRY AND WILDLIFE WEEK (AFWW9)
“Innovative and Inclusive Forest and Wildlife Resources Management for Africa”
1st – 5th December 2025 in Banjul, The Gambia
Organizer: Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
IFSA Delegation Report
Authors: Abalo Theopista, Zebulun Otaigbe Ojo (IFSA Delegates)
The African Forestry and Wildlife Commission (AFWC) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) held its Twenty-fifth Session in Banjul, The Gambia, from 1 to 5 December 2025 in hybrid modality.
The AFWC25 session, that was held concurrently with the 9th African Forestry and Wildlife Week (AFWW9), served as an important forum for the African member states to advise on the formulation of forest and wildlife management policy, review implementation at the regional level, and exchange information on technical problems. The AFWC25 and AFWW9 sessions theme was: “Innovative and Inclusive Forest and Wildlife Resources Management for Africa”.
The Session was attended by 185 participants (171 in person and 14 virtual), including representatives from 34 Member Nations, as well as observers from other United Nations organizations, intergovernmental organizations, and youth.
IFSA Participation
IFSA was represented by a delegation of two students, Zebulun Otaigbe Ojo (left), a Master’s student from the AUSF LC Viterbo, University of Tuscia, Italy and Abalo Theopista (right), a Bachelor’s degree student from the FAMU LC, Makerere University, Uganda. The IFSA delegates effectively represented the voice of the youth and future leaders in the forestry and wildlife sectors at different sessions, all of which strongly emphasized youth engagement and utilization of available resources for knowledge acquisition and capacity building.
Abalo Theopista contributed to discussions of AFWC25 Item 4, focused on evaluating the progress in implementation of the recommendations of the 24th Session of the African Forestry and Wildlife Commission: FAO supported activities in the region. As a beneficiary of the FAO AIM4Forest Young Forest Champion
Initiative for 2025, she expressed her gratitude for the opportunity, acknowledging the unique experience she acquired throughout the online mentorship sessions and the in country onsite workshop where she was able to learn more about and contribute to the restoration of Mpanga Central Forest Reserve. Her feedback urged the FAO to integrate more practical skill building sessions into the program. As a requirement of the program, she took up the Institutionalization of Forest Data Course, where she was able to learn the basics of National Forest Monitoring Systems and how Institutionalization is relevant for its sustainability. She acknowledged the comprehensive nature and complexity of the course and urged the FAO to establish a mechanism for simplicity of the courses for the benefit of students and other community leaders who might take up these courses in the future.
Zebulun Otaigbe Ojo took part in the AFWW9 Event 7 plenary session focused on the strengthening of crossectoral linkages for Halting deforestation and building resilient Agri-food systems. He provided insights on how youth inclusivity and engagement are the keys to attaining innovation and crosssectionality in both agrifood systems and forestry. He also shared of the collaboration between IFSA and FAO for forest data transperency through the CBIT/ FAO-e learning academy focused on building capacity of the students, academia and young professionals in the Global South especially within Africa in forest monitoring and resources management.
IFSA’s presence at the conference enabled representation of the youth, ensuring that future leadership perspectives were considered in the policy discussions on biodiversity conservation and sustainability.
👉 Read the full delegation report and detailed experience here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lhYb56UKLTOclV8iIyDt1KhaRGfKLmE16DwN1N3g8uU/edit?tab=t.0
