Wilfred Enow Agbor
Yaounde, Cameroon
SNV, an international not-for-profit development organization, in partnership with the European Union organized a conference to bring together actors dealing with forest products in Cameroon. These actors were forest communities in Cameroon and economic operators dealing with timber and other forest related products. The conference took place for the first time at the Congress Hall in Yaoundé.
The aim of the conference was to stop illegal trading in forest products, create access to information via the Internet concerning forest products in Cameroon, make known to buyers
SNV Exhibition Booth
different products that can be gotten from the forest — especially timber, look for partners who can buy timber and other forest products and use proceeds to develop the forest community.
Veldhuijzen Katrui, a master environmental biologist on internship from Holland, writing a project on promotion of exploitation and exportation of legal wood from community forest, said there are concerns with the different actors in the forest community area.
Tchantchouang Jean Claude
SNV is out to bring economic operators and the local community on the negotiating table for the benefit of both parties. Katrui is happy SNV has taken the lead and knows there will be no regrets for such ventures.
Djal Myah Gladis, President of FC MIREBEE, a common initiative group displayed local forest products such as njangsa, bush mango, alakata (Afronium citratum). Ms Djal thanked SNV for putting them in contact with buyers. She
Djal Myah Gladis, President of FC MIREBEE
stated it will be a good thing for SNV to get partners who will develop their locality.
Tchantchouang Jean Claude of African Centre for Applied Forestry Research and Development (CARFAD) displayed different types of timber found in forests around the Gulf of Guinea. Amongst them were azobe, used to construct rail way, and other types of timber like mahogani, kossipo, iroko, sapelle, just to mention a few.
Veldhuijzen Katrui, a master environmental biologist on internship from Holland
Organizations like FC MIREBEE and CARFAD are partaking in the improvement of their communities. The 1994 forestry law has given the opportunity for local communities to take part in the management of natural resources as well as the development of their areas in order to fight poverty. However, in the past 15 years, the local communities have not developed as expected due to poor contracts signed with economic operators. Consequently timber is being sold from some communities at a very low price — for example 6,000 to 10,000 F CFA / Cubic Meter.
To improve the situation, there will be a commission to manage community forest and foreign aid given for developmental projects. The negotiation of contract terms and clauses will equally be clearly spelled out for better understanding of those involved in the forest sectors.
