Kenya and other African countries can unlock significant economic growth by transforming their abundant tree, forest and agroforestry resources into high-value industries, products and jobs, leaders and experts have said.
Speaking during a high-level forum on tree-powered bioeconomies in Africa held in Nairobi, policymakers, scientists, investors and development partners emphasized that the continent must move beyond exporting raw commodities and instead invest in value addition, innovation, manufacturing and market development.
The forum, organized by the Landscape Alliance (formerly CIFOR-ICRAF), explored how tree-based resources can support green industrialization, strengthen climate resilience, enhance food security and create sustainable livelihoods across Africa.
Principal Secretary State Department for Science, Research and Innovation Shaukat Abdulrazak said that Kenya together with other African countries, possesses immense untapped bioeconomy potential but must focus on commercialising research and building industries around its biological resources.
“The focus must shift from what to how. Scientific knowledge must be translated into innovation, enterprise development, commercialization and industrial growth,” Abdulrazak said.
He noted that Kenya is developing a National Bioeconomy Strategy aimed at strengthening governance, innovation, technology transfer, market development, investment and skills development to support the growth of the sector.
Landscape Alliance Chief Executive Officer Éliane Ubalijoro challenged stakeholders to rethink the role of trees in Africa’s development agenda.
“A tree is more than a natural asset. It is economic infrastructure. It is climate infrastructure. It is a source of food, medicine, materials, energy, enterprise and jobs,” she said.
Ubalijoro observed that Africa’s future growth could be rooted in the trees, forests and living systems that have sustained communities for generations, provided investments are directed towards innovation, enterprise development and sustainable value chains.
Discussions during the forum highlighted opportunities across diverse tree-based value chains, including food production, timber, construction materials, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, biomaterials, renewable energy and nature-based climate solutions.
Landscape Alliance Africa Director Peter Minang emphasized the need for African countries to derive greater value from their biological resources.
“ The opportunity before us is to transform Africa’s rich tree resources into higher-value products, enterprises and industries that benefit both people and nature,” Minang said.
He added that strengthening value addition, processing and innovation would create jobs, support local industries and generate greater economic returns while advancing climate and biodiversity goals.
The Chief Executive Officer of Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI) Jane Njuguna underscored the role of science, indigenous tree species and genetic resources in developing future bio-based industries.
She said Kenya’s rich biodiversity, ongoing restoration efforts and the government’ s 15 billion Tree Growing Programme present an opportunity to strengthen tree-based value chains, create green jobs and support the country’s emerging bioeconomy.
Participants agreed that achieving Africa’s tree-powered bioeconomy vision will require stronger collaboration among governments, research institutions, communities, investors and the private sector.
They called for increased investment in innovation, processing infrastructure, policy reforms and financing mechanisms capable of converting scientific discoveries into commercially viable enterprises.
The forum concluded with a call to position trees, forests and agroforestry systems not only as natural resources to be conserved but also as productive assets capable of driving a new generation of African industries while restoring landscapes, strengthening climate resilience and delivering shared prosperity across the continent.
by Anita Omwenga
