Prof. Suzana Augustino, Chairperson of the AFF Members Forum (Tanzania)
Suzana Augustino is a Member of the Governing Council of the African Forest Forum (AFF) and the Chairperson of the AFF Members Forum. She is a Forester by profession and an associate Professor in Forest Products Utilization majoring on the Medicinal Plants part of the Non-Timber-Forest-Products. Prof. Augustino is currently serving as a Deputy Vice Chancellor responsible for Planning, Finance and Administration at the Nelson Mandela – African Institution for Science and Technology (NM-AIST) based in Arusha region, Tanzania since September 2022 to date.
She has worked with Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro region in the Department of Forest Engineering and Wood Sciences under the College of Forestry, Wildlife and Tourism (CFWT) for more than 22 years and managed to hold various administration posts including being the first female Principal of the CFWT (July 2020 – August 2022). She has vast experience in research on Sustainable Utilization of Forest Products both Timber and Non-Timber. Her research and consultancy experiences cuts across from socio-economic aspects of the forest resources, especially the Medicinal Plants, Gender to current global issues like Climate Change Mitigation, Adaptation and REDD+ related aspects. She has more than 25 publications in peer reviewed journals and co-authored four (4) book Chapters. She is also a member to professional and non-professional bodies/entities such as the Tanzania Association of Foresters (TAF), Board Member and Deputy Vice Chairperson – TAFORI Board of Directors (2019 – 2022), Board Member – Tanzania Wildlife Authority (TAWA) Board of Directors (2023 – 2026), and Organization for Women in Science and Technology for Developing Countries (OWSD – Tanzania. Holds a PhD, Master and Bachelor degrees in Forestry.
Prof. Jean Nduwamungu (Rwanda)
Prof Jean Nduwamungu is a member of the Governing Council of the African Forest Forum (AFF). He is a full Professor of Forestry and has been Deputy Dean of the School of Forestry, Ecotourism, and Greenspace Management at the University of Rwanda since November 2017. He holds a PhD degree in Forestry from Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA) obtained in 2001. He worked at the Sokoine University of Agriculture, Tanzania from 2002 to 2006. He served as Director of the Land and Forestry Research Centre (LaFREC) and the Forest Management program at the former National Agricultural Research Institute (ISAR) from 2006 to 2008.
He joined the former National University of Rwanda in 2008 and was appointed Director of the Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing, Training and Research Centre of the National University of Rwanda (CGIS-NUR) from 2008 to 2011. He served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Rwanda Natural Resource Authority (RNRA) from 2011 to 2016. He has supervised more than 200 undergraduate students, more than 20 MSc students, and 5 PhD Candidates. He has conducted several research and consultancy projects both at national and international levels.
Ms. Alima Issufo Taquidir (Mozambique)
Ms Issufo Taquidir is a Senior Officer at Forest Department, Ministry of Land and Environment in Mozambique and a Member AFF Governing Council. She is a Mozambican citizen with more than 32 years of work experience on the field of Forest Management. She has worked in various fields related to Tree Breeding, Afforestation Programs, Sustainable Forest Management, Community Base Forest Management, Climate Change, Desertification, Biodiversity, Development of Forest and Wildlife Policies and Strategies, etc.
She holds a Master degree in Silviculture from Stellenbosh University, South Africa and BSc Honors degree in Forestry Engineering from Eduardo Mondlane University, in Mozambique.
She has held several positions of technical and administrative responsibility in the Mozambican Forestry administration. She was Director of Forest Research Center, Head of Afforestation Program, Coordinator of the NFP Facility Program, Head of Forestry Department, Coordinator of REDD+, Head of Inventory Department and a part time lecture at Eduardo Mondlane University.
Prof. Larwanou Mahamane, Chair, AFF Governing Council
After his graduation from University of Ibadan, Prof. Larwanou Mahamane was recruited by the National Institute for Agricultural Research of Niger (INRAN) in 1994 as a research scientist in the Forestry Department. Driven by his passion for academics, Prof. Larwanou left INRAN in 2006 to join the University of Niamey as a lecturer and research scientist in Ecology and Agroforestry. He held that position till August 2008 when he joined the African Forest Forum (AFF) at the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) in Nairobi, Kenya as Senior Programme Officer and Head of Programmes Management Unit of that institution until July 2018.
Larwanou left African Forest Forum (AFF) to the International Centre for Research in Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) in Niamey, Niger as a Senior Scientist in Climate Smart Agriculture from July 2018 to October 2020 when he decided to come back to University of Niamey as a full Professor in forest ecology/agroforestry to date. His areas of special interests include: forest ecology, agroforestry, vegetation dynamics, climate smart agriculture, climate change, forest-water relation in dry lands. He has developed and updated various agroforestry technologies aimed at improving parkland systems in the Sahel. Professor Larwanou has published more than 90 scientific papers in peer reviewed scientific journals and coordinated many scientific collaborative research projects. He is a member of various professional associations and technical working groups at national, regional and international levels. Prof Larwanou is the current Chair of the Governing Council of the African Forest Forum.
Mr. Ibro Adamou (Niger)
Mr. Ibro Adamou is the Acting Technical Director of the Niger Basin Authority (NBA) since December 1, 2023. He is from Niger and has more than 30 years of work experience in the field of Natural Resource Management in the context of the Sahel. He has worked in various fields related to natural resource management, including sustainable forest and tree management, Water and Soil Conservation, wetland management, development of environmental and natural resource management policies and strategies, biodiversity conservation, etc.
Ibro Adamou holds a degree in Agricultural Engineering, Forest and Soil Sciences option, obtained in 1991 at the Institute of Agricultural Technology of Mostaganem in Algeria.
He has held several positions of technical and administrative responsibility in the Nigerien forestry administration. He was the Secretary General of the Ministry in charge of Forests in Niger, before being appointed to the position of Technical Director a.i. of the NBA.
Prof. Daniel A. Ofori (Ghana)
Prof. Daniel A. Ofori is a Chief Research Scientist, working for CSIR-Forestry Research Institute of Ghana. His research interest is Forest Genetics and Conservation Biology. He is a national from Ghana with 23 years’ of post-doctoral experience in research, teaching, projects and organisational management. He holds a PhD degree in Forest Genetics from University of Aberdeen, M.Phil in Forest Tree Improvement from University of Edinburgh and a B.Sc in Agriculture from the University of Ghana.
Prof. Daniel Ofori’s employment history began in November 1989 with the National Mobilisation Programme as a Liaison Officer. He was subsequently recruited by the CSIR-Forestry Research Institute of Ghana in June 1991, as Assistant Research Officer and rose through the professional ranks to Chief Research Scientist in 2010.
During this period, he served in many administrative positions including Head of Division for Tree Improvement and Seed Technology, Biodiversity and Land Use, head of Environment Biodiversity and Land Use Unit and Deputy Director of CSIR-Forestry Research Institute of Ghana. He joined the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) as Tree Domestication Scientist in April 2011 and coordinated research programmes in the following regions; West and Central Africa, East Africa, Southern Africa, South East Asia and Latin America.
He was later appointed the Director of CSIR-Forestry Research Institute of Ghana in April 2015 and retired in April 2024. He is currently working for CSIR-Forestry Research Institute as a Chief Research Scientist on post-retirement contract and also teaching at the CSIR-College of Science and Technology as a Professor of Forest Genetics. He is a Fellow of Ghana Institute of Foresters and also the President of FORNESSA.
Dr. Kwame Asamoah Adam (Ghana)
Dr. Kwame Asamoah Adam is Ghanaian and a professional forester with 45 years working experience. He was nominated and elected to serve on the AFF Governing Council in 2022 representing the private sector group of AFF. He holds the following Academic Qualifications: PhD (Forest Harvesting); MSc (Forest policy and Planning) both from University of Aberdeen UK; BSc (Natural Resource Management Forestry Option) University of Science and Technology, Kumasi.
In his career practice he has been involved in natural forest management; plantation development; Forest policy; Forest operations planning, timber enterprise planning, forest inventory; timber harvesting; project formulation and management; research and human resources development. He has worked in government, non-governmental and private sector organizations.
Currently he is the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Timber Millers organization (GTMO) where his responsibilities include advising the GTMO Council on technical issues relating to Timber Resource Management, Forest Policy and Administration, Timber Utilization Contract Area Management and; conducting evidence-based research to support advocacy. Before joining GTMO he was a Research Scientist at the Forestry Research Institute of Ghana for 19 years and earlier in his career an Assistant Conservator of Forest with the former Ghana Forestry Department.
Since 2012 has been on the board of the Ghana Shippers authority representing the shipping interest of the manufacturing companies. He is also on the FAO Advisory Committee on Sustainable Forest Industries- which looks at the impacts of international policies on forest industries and make recommendations to national and regional governments through the FAO for improvement.
Dr. Ben Chikamai, Executive Secretary, The Network for Natural Gums and Resins in Africa (NGARA)
Dr Ben Chikamai is the Executive Secretary of the Network on Forest Enterprises in Africa (NEFEA) following the re-branding of the Network for Natural Gums and Resins in Africa (NGARA). NEFEA is a Pan African organization that is promoting the sustainable development of forest enterprises in Africa for the improvement of the green economy, rural livelihoods, and the environment. He is also a Member of the African Forest Forum Governing Council, Commonwealth Forestry Association (CFA) Advisory Board and Forestry Society of Kenya.
Dr Chikamai is the former Director of the Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI) (May 2009 and January 2018). Additionally, he was the Board member of the International Union of the Forestry Research Organisation (IUFRO) and liaison Officer for Africa (October 2010 to September 2019) as well as Secretary of the Association of Forestry Research Institutions in Eastern Africa [AFREA], which was then a node of the Forestry Research Network for Sub-Saharan Africa (FORNESSA) (December 1999 to April 2009).
Dr. Chikamai has extensive experience in Leadership and Management, Leader in Research in Forestry and allied Natural Resources and in Fostering Partnerships and Networking. Additionally he has served as a Part Lecturer at the Moi University and as External Examiner for over fifteen post-graduate students (MSc and PhD) in the Universities of Dar-Es Salaam, Tanzania (Department of Material Science), Sokoine University of Agriculture (Department of Wood Utilization), Moi University (Department of Wood Science and Industrial Processes), University of Ghent in Belgium (Natural Resources Management) besides the undergraduate programmes in Forestry and Material Science in most of the above universities. He has also served as a Supervisor for over Twenty Post-graduate students (MSc and PhD) in Forestry, Material Science, Natural Resources Management, Chemistry and Food Science. Arising from own research and supervision work, he has published over 80 peer reviewed publications, including books and book chapters.
Ms. Cécile Ndjebet, REFACOF President and Founder (Cameroon)
Cécile Ndjebet is one of the well-known leaders of CSO in Africa, an international women’s rights advocate and gender specialist. With 35 years of field experience, Cécile started her professional career as a Cameroonian Civil servant in 1986.
In 1997, she joined the civil society Organizations. She has been devoted to women’s rights issues and is being involved in the national, regional and international forestry, REDD+ and climate change processes for the past 15 years.
In 2009, to promote women’s direct and effective participation in natural resources management in Africa, Cécile, together with a group of African Women Rights advocates, founded the African Women’s Network for Community Management of Forests (REFACOF); one of the rare Sub-Saharan Africa women’s Platform of the forest sector, with 20 member countries from West and Central Africa. The mission of REFACOF is to promote women’s rights in Africa and advocate to shape policies and practices for gender equity in relation to land and forest tenure.
In 2012, Cécile was elected Climate Change Champion of the Central African Commission on Forests (COMIFAC). Cécile is a member of a good number of networks and professional societies at national, regional and global levels. In May 2021, she was selected as Advisory Board member of the UN Decade on Ecosystems restoration, 2020-2030.
Cécile is an Agronomist and Social Forester by profession. Gender specialist and Women Leadership trainer and adviser; she holds a M.Sc. degree in Social forestry from Wageningen Agricultural University in The Netherlands. She is a PhD Doctorate at the Central Africa Catholic University working on “Gender relations, access to land and socio-economic situation of women in the Cameroon rural coast”.
During the XV World Forestry Congress held in May 2022 in Seoul, Korea, Cécile won the Wangari Maathaï Forest Champion Award for her energy and dedication over three decades in promoting women’s rights to land and forests.
Oluwaseyi Adewale Olawuyi (Nigeria)
Oluwaseyi Adewale Olawuyi (Prince) is a member of the African Forest Forum’s Governing Council and has been working as an environmental consultant for the past fifteen years. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography from the University of Lagos, Nigeria (2006). He is a certified management consultant and a member of the Institute of Management Consultants Nigeria.
Oluwaseyi is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of World Ecological Concepts Ltd. Additionally, he sits on the boards of many youth-led environmental NGOs in Nigeria and abroad. He serves as the program coordinator at Plant-for-the-Planet Academy, Nigeria Chapter, where he has mobilized more than 2,000 young people as climate justice ambassadors. He is recognized by DeserTech Innovation in Israel for his contributions to the Green Great Wall initiative.
Dr. Wubalem Tadesse, CIFOR-ICRAF
Dr. Wubalem Tadesse is a Research Project Coordinator – Seed Source for CIFOR-ICRAF, Provision of Adequate Tree Seed Portfolio in Ethiopia (PATSPO) project, financed by the Norwegian International Climate and Forest Initiative (NICFI) through the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Ethiopia (RNE). He is a national from Ethiopia with 35 years of work experience, mainly in forestry research.
He holds a Ph.D. degree in Tree improvement and Forest Genetics from the Polytechnic University of Madrid, Spain, and a M.Sc. in General Forestry from the University of Pinar del Río, Cuba.
Before joining CIFOR-ICRAF/PATSPO project, Dr. Wubalem Tadesse was Lead Researcher of the Ethiopian Forestry Development (EFD) formerly Ethiopian Environment and Forest Research Institute (EEFRI). He was the founding Director General of EEFRI and also served as Director of Forestry Research in the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR). He has coordinated different research programs and projects in EIAR.
He is the IUFRO (International Union of Forest Research Organization) President’s nominee for Africa and a Vice Chair of the Governing Council of the African Forestry Forum (AFF).
Mr. Ntungwe Ngalame Elias (Cameroon)
Mr. Ntungwe Ngalame Elias is a journalist and member of the AFF Governing Council. He holds a Bsc in Mass Communication and diploma in Sociology from the University of Buea, 1997 Cameroon. He also got training in Climate Change reporting at Thomson Reuters Foundation-London. He is a multiple award-winning environment Journalist writing for Thomson Reuters, University World News, spore.cta.int, Pamacc news etc. He is the Central African region coordinator of Pan African Media Alliance for Climate Change, PAMACC.
He is the publisher of Eco OUTLOOK Newspaper, a weekly tabloid on environment and development issues, and also runs an online version, ecooutlooknews.com.
Dr. Peter A Minang, Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF)
Dr. Peter A Minang is Director Africa for Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF) and Global Coordinator, ASB Partnership for the Tropical Forest Margins. He is an established leader with a background in social ecology, climate change, land governance and green economy with close to 3 decades of experience. He serves in several advisory roles and boards and has won several scientific and development awards. Current passion is in enabling tree / forest commodities and services contribute to poverty reduction, climate change, green growth and sustainable development in Africa.
Ms. Sheam Satkuru, International Tropical Timber Council (ITTO)
Ms Satkuru was appointed as ITTO’s first female Executive Director at the 57th session of the International Tropical Timber Council in December 2021.
Ms Satkuru has nearly 30 years of experience in tropical forest policy and the wood products industry. She is a specialist in international trade regulations, with strong skills and experience in international negotiations, legal and policy analysis, communications and public affairs. She has served as a technical expert, adviser and board member in several capacities. She holds a Master in Corporate and Commercial Law degree from King’s College, the University of London and was called to the English Bar in 1993.
A citizen of Malaysia, Ms Satkuru was ITTO Director of Operations between October 2017 and January 2022 and was based in Europe for Malaysia prior to joining the ITTO. Throughout her career, she has focused very much on sustainable tropical forestry, linking the private sector and communities, international policies and legal and sustainable international trade in forest products/industries.
Prof. Labode Popoola (Ex-Officio), Executive Secretary – CEO, AFF
Prof. Labode Popoola is an accomplished scholar with more than 20 years of senior management experience working in various institutions across Africa. He holds a PhD in Forest Economics from the University of Ibadan. His academic career has seen him occupying every academic position in the university system, ranging from undergraduate programme coordinator to Vice-Chancellor.
As an experienced researcher and project leader, Labode Popoola has led several internationally funded researches involving over USD4 million, including the MacArthur Foundation USD 900,000.00 grant for the establishment of the Master’s in Development Practice (MDP) Programme. The University of Ibadan was one of the 10 Universities that won the grant involving over 70 Universities across the globe in 2010. He was also a team member and Steering Committee member of the USD 1.75 Million Japanese Trust Fund (JTF) Grant for Education for Sustainable Development in Africa (ESDA).
Labode has won several awards and honours. They include an award for Invaluable Service in Agroforestry from the International Centre for Research in Agroforestry, Nairobi (2001); award for excellent service to the forestry profession by the Council of the Forestry Association of Nigeria. He also received the Osun State Government Merit Award for Excellence in Science, Research and Community Development in 2010, and an Award of Excellence by Osun State Government in 2018 for making Osun State University financially self-sustaining.