The Journalists brandish their certificates received after training.
By Ngalame Elias
Some 30 environment journalists and communication experts from the Central African sub region have upgraded their skills on climate and forest resilience reporting.
The training took that place August 26 to 28 2025 in Yaounde, is an initiative of the International Forest Research Center and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF) as part of its Research in Ecology and Social Sciences in Central Africa (RESSAC) program.
The three day workshop holding under the theme “Strengthening Environmental Journalism for Climate and Forest Resilience in Central Africa,” provided the communication professionals opportunity to interact, exchange and learn from environment science experts as well as senior media colleaques.
According to a concept note by the workshop organisers, the need to enhance the communication capacity of journalists in the Congo Basin forest region in environment, climate change and forest management challenges has become imperative as the sub-region wrestles with forest management challenges and the need to address them.
“As climate change, deforestation, land degradation and biodiversity loss accelerate across the Congo Basin, the need for credible, well-informed and locally grounded environmental journalism has never been more urgent,” the note says.
Media professionals are powerful allies in shaping public opinion, holding decision-makers accountable, and raising awareness among communities. However, many journalists lack access to accurate scientific data, contextual knowledge, and practical tools to effectively report on complex environmental issues, it explains.
CIFOR-ICRAF officials said it was against this backdrop that the training workshop was organized.
“ It was to address the communication challenges that CIFOR-ICRAF organized this capacity-building initiative aimed at strengthening the environmental journalism landscape in central Africa, equip journalists with the knowledge, skills, and resources needed to tell compelling, evidence based stories that elevate climate action, promote sustainable forest management and highlight the voices of the 60 million people who depend on the Congo basin forest for survival,” explained, the training Coordinator, Abdon Awono, at the opening of the session.
The need for researchers to disseminate their research results to reach the target audience was imperative. Since scientists lack the appropriate tools to reach their target audience, they need the support of communicators, Awono said.
“There is an essential marriage between communication and research. It is through journalists that our scientific publications can reach our audiences, who need research results to transform the environment, fight poverty, etc. And for communicators to be able to convey the results of our research, they need training to better understand research intricacies and the scientific approach,” said Abdon Awono.
For Richard Suffo, coordinator of the RESSAC programme, in charge of monitoring the work of 27 postdocs fellows, researchers have through their work to help improving living Conditions, Protecting and Restoring forest resources.
“Researchers have to help protect the environment and at the same time show how use it for future generations,” said Suffo.
Abdon Awono threw light the organization’s mission, mandate, overall role, areas of intervention, and key projects in Central Africa.
“CIFOR-ICRAF harnesses the potential of trees, forests, and agroforestry landscapes to address the most pressing global challenges of our time. It adopts a multidisciplinary approach, while seeking to improve living conditions and protect and restore ecosystems. Our work is based on innovative research.”
Richard Sufo,on his part highlighted Ressac program and mission.
The EU-funded Ressac aims to improve the effectiveness and impact of scientific research and international cooperation, with a particular focus on combating climate change. It has two components: research and capacity building, he said.
He disclosed that CIFOR-ICRAF has 26 research projects selected and funded for a total of €9,000,000. These projects involve universities, research institutes, the private sector, and civil society organizations, with the participation of 27 postdoctoral researchers and approximately 80 master’s students. The projects are underway in Chad, Gabon, the DRC, Cameroon, and Congo.
Media professionals were drilled on themes like understanding climate science for non-scientists; forest landscapes and the environment in Central Africa; from research to reporting, climate change reporting methodology, why forest and environmental journalism matters, ethics and accuracy in forest and environment reporting, converting scientific data communication pieces.
The journalist on day three of their training made a field visit to one of the structures transforming Non Timber Forest Products( NTFP) like Bitter cola, Njangsa, etc into well packaged biscuits, rubbing oil, washing soap etc to improve on the income of the forest community and preventing them from destrying the forest.
These NTFP processing is made possible thanks to support frim CIFOR-ICRAF.
Journalists had a field visit at Vilita, a structure processing and transforming non-timber forest products with support from CIFOR-ICRAF