This collaborative workshop, organised with the Gabonese Agency for Space Studies and Observations (AGEOS), brought together some fifteen public, private and civil society institutions, including the National Agency for Digital Infrastructure and Frequencies (ANINF), the Gabonese Agency for Green Economy Development (AGADEV), The Nature Conservancy, WWF, Wildlife Conservation Society, Rougier SA, Okala, Panthera, the Directorate General for Environmental and Nature Protection (DGEPN), Omar BONGO University/LAGRAC, Téréa, Brainforest, the National Agency for National Parks (ANPN) and Data Terra.

From pre-feasibility to action

This workshop is a direct continuation of the mission carried out in Gabon in March 2025 as part of the One Forest Vision initiative. This first phase had made it possible to establish a shared diagnosis: still limited public infrastructure, a need for enhanced technical skills, trust to be consolidated between stakeholders, and the absence of a structured framework for sharing scientific data.

The recommendations made at the end of this mission were clear: create a working group led by AGEOS, develop a national metadata catalogue, structure governance based on FAIR and CARE principles, and define a plan for deploying appropriate infrastructure.

A little less than a year later, the co-construction workshop marks the transition from diagnosis to operationalisation. By mobilising the collective intelligence of Gabonese institutions, it gives concrete expression to the desire to build a national public infrastructure for the preservation of forests and wetlands.

Reconciling data management and environmental public policy

How can data management, public digital infrastructure and environmental action be better coordinated to preserve the forest ecosystems of the Congo Basin? This was the central theme of this workshop, which had been prepared in an accelerated format since December.

Discussions were based on the assessment carried out in 2025 as part of a professional thesis for a Global Executive Master of Management from HEC Paris, as well as on the ‘public platform’ approach developed by Laura Létourneau. Structured in three collaborative sequences, the discussions explored new forms of governance based on cooperation, participation and the pooling of expertise.

Structured governance for a national platform

Discussions clarified a governance structure based on an institutional committee, a plenary working group and thematic subcommittees, particularly those dedicated to the metadata catalogue.

AGEOS and the French National Agency for Digital Infrastructure and Frequencies (ANINF) were identified as key resource institutions for the technical and institutional support of the project.

A strong consensus emerged in favour of regulated sharing of scientific data, particularly to facilitate access to international green financing, while respecting the principles of sovereignty and national governance.

A strategic step forward for the One Forest Vision

For One Forest Vision, this mission marks a decisive step forward. It consolidates Gabon's scientific sovereignty, improves interoperability between institutions and strengthens the country's international credibility in mobilising climate and biodiversity funding.

By supporting this collective dynamic, OFVi confirms its role as a catalyst for scientific and institutional cooperation in the Congo Basin. This international project contributes to preserving the ‘green heart’ of the planet by sustainably structuring data management for forests and wetlands.

A huge thank you to all participants for their commitment and inspiring contributions. It is this collective vision that will enable ambition to be transformed into action.

Next steps 

Within one month, organise a meeting of the ‘Metadata Catalogue’ subcommittee to launch the operationalisation of the project;

Continue to obtain the names of representative focal points for institutions;

Within three months, organise a new working group meeting to create the proposed subcommittees;

In the medium term, the organisation of a high-level seminar, attended by ministers, lasting one day and including working sessions, has been discussed and is to be implemented.