On 1 September in Abuja, Nigeria's Federal Ministry of Environment launched Securing Nigeria's Forest Future (SNFF), a 10-year plan with ambitious goals. The plan aims to restore 2 million hectares of degraded forest, reduce deforestation by 20 percent, create 1.5 million green jobs and strengthen climate resilience for more than 5 million people. The launch was supported by the Seed Fund, a strategic financing mechanism for forests, nature and climate actions hosted by Conservation International.
SNFF is Nigeria's Country Package — a roadmap for saving its forests. It's a government-led plan that aligns forestry, agriculture, and finance around one shared strategy, developed with backing from an international coalition called the Forest and Climate Leaders' Partnership.
The SNFF launch comes at a critical time for Nigeria's forests, which are essential to the country's long-term environmental and economic stability. However, they are under increasing threat from clearing for agriculture and urbanisation, illegal logging and overharvesting to fuel local energy demands. Along the coast, approximately one million hectares of mangroves — around 6 percent of the world's total — help prevent coastal erosion, support regional fisheries and store significant carbon stocks. Inland, Nigeria's forests support livelihoods for Nigeria's population. Moreover, they harbour a diversity of species, including the critically endangered Cross River gorilla.
The SNFF addresses threats to forests and biodiversity and harnesses the potential of Nigeria's forests to support nature-based economic development and ecosystem restoration. To advance this agenda, more than 150 representatives from federal and state governments, development partners, academia, the private sector, and civil society came together for the launch. Participants agreed that achieving SNFF targets requires strong coordination across sectors and with state governments, as well as transparent monitoring.
Most critically, the launch focused on the importance of moving from planning to action. In his keynote remarks, Minister of Environment Balarabe Abbas Lawal underscored that SNFF must be more than a document on a shelf. The Seed Fund addresses this need by providing catalytic funding and technical assistance to help countries move from commitments to implementation.
To build momentum for broader SNFF investment, the Seed Fund will launch a small grants programme co-designed with the Federal Department of Forestry. The programme focuses on strengthening management of critical ecosystems and supporting community-based natural resource management.
