By Kevin Akor
YAOUNDÉ, Cameroon — The United Kingdom has thrown its support behind a new generation of Central African researchers, unveiling a cohort of scholars under a landmark science programme aimed at closing long-standing knowledge gaps in the Congo Basin.
The British High Commission in Yaoundé on Thursday showcased scholars under the Congo Rainforest Alliance for Forest Training for Sustainable Development, or CRAFT, describing the initiative as a major step toward building world-class, locally led scientific expertise in one of the planet’s most critical ecosystems.
UK officials said the programme would generate new data on the Congo Basin’s climate, forests, water systems and societies — areas where limited research has hampered evidence-based policymaking for decades.
“Today marks a milestone in advancing scientific leadership within the Congo Basin region,” British High Commissioner to Cameroon Matt Woods said at the event. “The UK is proud to support CBSI and CRAFT because the world needs robust, locally led science to tackle the climate and biodiversity crises.”
The CRAFT programme is the flagship initiative under the Congo Basin Scientific Initiative, or CBSI, funded through UK International Development with £9.1 million ($11.5 million) over five years. It supports 12 leading research groups across Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon and the Republic of Congo.
Officials said the programme will provide 33 postgraduate scholarships — 21 PhDs and 12 master’s degrees — to train a new generation of experts in climate science, biodiversity and sustainable land use from the Congo Basin.
Researchers involved in the initiative are expected to help narrow the scientific divide between the Congo Basin and other major tropical forest regions, such as the Amazon, while advancing Africa-centred approaches to climate adaptation and conservation.
Beyond training, the programme will operationalize six scientific observatories covering climate, hydrology, vegetation, biodiversity, land use and socio-ecology. The observatories will produce integrated open data intended to guide policies on forest protection, livelihoods and community resilience, UK officials said.
