By Frank Ulom
The Process Wood Producers and Marketers Association of Nigeria (PROWPMAN) has restored 200 hectares of degraded forest land in Cross River State, with 80,000 economic trees planted across Mfamosing, Camp 2 and Abinti communities in Akamkpa Local Government Area. This was disclosed during the National Unveiling and Restoration Milestone Ceremony of the Sustainable Green Project (SGP), held on Thursday, October 8, 2026, at Mfamosing, Akamkpa LGA.
The project, implemented in collaboration with the Cross River State Government, the Cross River State Forestry Commission, the Forestry Association of Nigeria (FAN) and other stakeholders, is aimed at restoring degraded forest areas, promoting sustainable forest management, supporting rural livelihoods and contributing to climate change mitigation.
Speaking at the ceremony, PROWPMAN National President, Chief Oyaleke Christopher Ademola, said the project demonstrated the capacity of industry stakeholders to contribute to environmental restoration through practical, measurable action. “Today is not just a ceremony; it is a statement. A statement that the wood industry of Nigeria is ready to move from exploitation to restoration, from deforestation to afforestation, and from consumption to sustainability,” Ademola said.
He explained that the initiative began in June 2025 and had recorded significant progress within 15 months, with 200 hectares restored and 80,000 economic trees planted across the three communities. According to him, the project reflects PROWPMAN’s commitment to giving back to society, protecting the forest resources on which its members depend and ensuring that future generations have access to sustainable sources of timber and other forest products.
He identified three principal reasons for the association’s involvement: its social responsibility to the forests that sustain the industry, the need to preserve its members’ livelihoods for future generations, and its contribution to Nigeria’s climate commitments and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 13 and 15, which address climate action and life on land.
Ademola said the association was committed to ensuring that its activities supported forest regeneration rather than continued depletion. “Our survival as an industry depends on the sustainability of the forests. We want to ensure that our children will still have wood to process and market in the next 20 years,” he said.
The PROWPMAN president said six economic tree species had been selected for the restoration programme because of their environmental and economic benefits. They include African mahogany, locally known as Oganwo; teak; bush mango, popularly called ogbono; obeche; Albizia lebbeck; and opepe. He said the trees were expected to support carbon sequestration, provide timber and non-timber forest products, create employment opportunities and improve the livelihoods of surrounding communities.
Ademola projected that the trees would sequester more than 15,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually when the plantations reach the appropriate stage of development. He also disclosed that the reported survival rate of the planted trees had increased from 65 per cent in 2025 to 93 per cent in 2026, attributing the improvement to community participation and involvement in protecting the plantations.
According to him, the active participation of host communities remained central to the project’s sustainability, particularly in preventing bush burning, encroachment and other activities that could undermine the restoration effort. He, however, identified funding gaps, the risk of bush burning and the high cost of transporting materials to remote forest locations as challenges facing the initiative.
The association is targeting two million seedlings by 2027 and is seeking additional support to achieve the goal.
The Governor of Cross River State, Senator Bassey Otu, who was able represented by the Chairman of the Cross River State House of Assembly Committee on Agriculture, Natural Resources and Forestry, Hon. Bette Obi, said the project aligned with the state’s approach to sustainable forest management. He described Cross River as a leading state in forestry practice in Nigeria, attributing its reputation to its forest resources and established forest management practices.
He said sustainable forestry required the replacement of harvested trees with new ones to maintain the forest’s productive capacity. “As you cut, you plant. You cut one, you plant four or five. That’s what Cross River State is up to,” he said.
Obi explained that the state government, under Governor Otu, was working to restore forest management practices and reverse years of neglect that had affected the state’s forestry sector. He argued that properly managed forests could provide environmental protection and economic opportunities for rural residents, including widows and other vulnerable members of host communities.
According to him, the presence of economic fruit trees, particularly bush mango, could enable residents to earn income from non-timber forest products while the authorities continued to protect the trees from unauthorised felling. He said the objective was to maintain the forest as an environmental asset while allowing communities to benefit from its resources under a sustainable management system, while commending PROWPMAN and other partners for supporting the restoration initiative.
The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Cross River State Forestry Commission, Rt. Hon. (Dr) George O’ben-Etchi, on his part, said the project was part of the state government’s effort to restore degraded forest areas and re-establish sustainable forestry practices. He recalled that when Governor Otu appointed the current leadership of the commission in 2023, the administration made it clear that forest management could no longer continue as usual.
According to him, years of restrictions on forest activities and inadequate attention to forest management had contributed to the deterioration of some forest areas and weakened the effectiveness of forestry operations. O’ben-Etchi said the commission had subsequently sought partnerships with organisations willing to invest in restoring degraded land and demonstrating practical approaches to sustainable forest management.
He identified PROWPMAN as one of the organisations that responded to the commission’s appeal. “We needed to have a place where we can say for sure that we’ve done afforestation, reclaimed the land and we have something to show,” he said.
The commission’s chairman disclosed that the state had allocated 5,000 hectares of land to PROWPMAN for restoration activities across the northern, central and southern senatorial districts. He said the project began with planting activities in 2025, but the commission and its partners decided to allow the seedlings time to establish before holding the symbolic unveiling and restoration milestone ceremony.
O’ben-Etchi described the initiative as a practical demonstration of the benefits of collaboration between government agencies, industry stakeholders and host communities. He said the partnership would help ensure that those who benefited from the state’s forest resources also contributed to their regeneration.
According to him, the initiative was intended to produce tangible results for Cross River State by restoring forest land and establishing plantations that could be monitored and maintained over time.
The Chairman of the Cross River State House of Assembly Committee on Environment, Hon. Ovat Agbor, said sustainable forest management required a balance between harvesting mature trees and planting new ones to ensure continuous regeneration.
Agbor explained that a bill relating to forest management had been presented to the state assembly in 2025, following which the legislature considered the executive’s proposal to lift the ban on logging as part of efforts to establish a sustainable management framework. He argued that a blanket prohibition on forest activities was not, in itself, a sufficient solution to forest degradation, stressing the importance of regulated harvesting, replanting and proper monitoring.
According to him, trees must be replaced after harvesting to ensure that forests remain productive and available to future generations. “You don’t cut the tree and don’t return back; you must do something to sustain the forest,” he said.
Agbor commended the state government and the Forestry Commission for supporting practical restoration efforts, describing the Mfamosing project as an example of how forest sustainability could be implemented beyond policy discussions. He also called for stronger enforcement of forestry regulations and appropriate sanctions against those responsible for illegal forest depletion.
He warned that failure to enforce existing laws could encourage indiscriminate exploitation and undermine efforts to preserve Cross River’s forest resources, stressing that the state’s forests represented an important environmental inheritance that should be protected for future generations.
He urged the government to sustain the restoration programme and ensure that the Forestry Commission had the personnel and institutional support required to manage the state’s forest estate effectively.
In a goodwill message, the Chairman of the Forestry Association of Nigeria, Cross River State Chapter (FANCROSS), Dr Otu Ibor, commended PROWPMAN and the Cross River State Forestry Commission for collaborating on the initiative.
Ibor said the project represented an important step towards protecting forest resources, conserving the environment and promoting sustainable livelihoods for rural residents, adding that the planting exercise had provided employment opportunities for residents of surrounding communities.
He, however, warned that afforestation programmes faced challenges such as unsustainable agricultural practices, animal grazing, bush burning, encroachment, inadequate funding and poor maintenance.
Speaking also, the Clan Head of Mfamosing, HRM Sunday Ita Archibong, welcomed the project, describing it as an important step towards preserving the forest for future generations.
Archibong said the initiative would help ensure that children in the host communities could continue to benefit from the forest in the coming decades. He warned that without sustained restoration and protection, the forest could face further depletion, with consequences for the environment and the livelihoods of residents.
The traditional ruler, however, urged the project partners to ensure that the initiative translated into lasting benefits rather than ending after the ceremony. He stressed that planting trees would achieve little if they were harvested again before reaching maturity.
According to him, trees take considerable time to grow and become useful, making it necessary for authorities and industry stakeholders to establish realistic harvesting cycles that allow plantations to regenerate. He called for a long-term commitment to forest restoration, proper monitoring and measures that would enable host communities to benefit from the programme.
Archibong said the project should contribute to the development of the communities, Cross River State and Nigeria as a whole. He urged the organisers and government agencies to maintain the momentum and ensure that the initiative produced sustainable environmental and economic benefits.
PROWPMAN’s Sustainable Green Project is expected to expand beyond the initial restoration sites as the association works towards its two-million-seedling target for 2027.
According to Ademola, the 5,000 hectares allocated by the Cross River State Government are distributed across the three senatorial districts, with 2,000 hectares assigned to one district and 1,500 hectares each to the other two.
He appealed to the Cross River State Government to institutionalise the restoration model across the state’s three senatorial districts. He also called on the Federal Ministry of Environment to support the association in accessing the National Afforestation Fund and international climate finance.
The PROWPMAN president urged members nationwide to replicate the initiative in their respective states, noting that the association had undertaken afforestation activities in Ekiti, Ogun, Adamawa, Taraba, Kogi and Oyo states before expanding the programme to Cross River.
The event was also attended by Hon. Philip Ojua, Chairman of Timber Dealers Association; Hon. Lebo Edu, SA to the Governor on Restoration and Ecosystem; Chief Adetola Samson Dosumu, National Vice President of PROWPMAN; Ayodeji Olaniyan, CF J.A. Ntui, Controller of Forest, National Park Service; SGP DG; Prof. Ogunsanwo Olukayode, who delivered a keynote address on “Sustainable Forestry Development in Nigeria: The Need for Pro-People-Private Forestry Agenda”; among other stakeholders.
