ERAIFT took part on the 10 and 11 December 2024 in the 6th Steering Committee (COPIL in french) and the scientific day of the Central African Forest Research Network (R2FAC in french) organized by R2FAC and the Center for International Cooperation in Agricultural Research for Development (CIRAD in french) at the Prince de Galle hotel in Douala, Cameroon.

ERAIFT is one of the 19 institutions in this network, which contributes to the priority areas of intervention «management and exploitation of forest resources» and «research and development» of the convergence plan of the Central African Forestry Commission (COMIFAC in french).

COPIL focused on: (1) the renewal of decision-making bodies and the facilitation unit; (2) the study of applications for membership from other institutions in the sub-region; (3) the future status of R2FAC; (4) The mobilization of financial resources through ongoing projects to support R2FAC; (5) the balance sheet of activities 2024 against the roadmap of the 5th COPIL; and (6) the programming of activities for 2025.

The Science Day was structured around various presentations, including: (i) current research activities and projects of various institutions in the network; (ii) opportunities for partnerships and funding; (iii) the deployment of a platform for sharing certain harmonised data in the Congo basin; (iv) the launch of the network of phenological observatories by drone in central Africa; and (v) the issues around agroforestry cocoa in central Africa.

ERAIFT thanks R2FAC and CIRAD for having been associated to this annual working meeting and expresses its gratitude to the European Union for its support.