France has announced a $2.5 billion global initiative aimed at protecting the Congo Basin rainforest, one of the world’s most vital carbon sinks, in collaboration with African nations, multilateral lenders, and private partners.
The announcement was made during the One Forest Summit in Kinshasa, where French President Emmanuel Macron reaffirmed France’s long-term commitment to supporting African-led conservation efforts. The initiative seeks to curb deforestation, promote sustainable logging, and invest in green infrastructure that benefits local communities.
“The Congo Basin is the planet’s second lung after the Amazon,” Macron said. “Protecting it is not just Africa’s responsibility, it is a global imperative that demands shared investment and action.”
According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Congo Basin stores around 8 percent of the world’s forest carbon and supports over 75 million people who rely on it for food, water, and livelihoods. However, illegal logging, mining, and agricultural expansion continue to threaten its survival.
The World Bank and the African Development Bank (AfDB) have also pledged technical and financial backing for the initiative, while local governments in Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon, and Gabon are expected to co-design forest governance and monitoring frameworks.
Environmental experts told Bloomberg that if implemented effectively, the program could become a model for climate cooperation between Africa and developed economies, linking environmental protection with socio-economic growth across the region.
