1. Closer dialogue with stakeholders in the environmental data sector

During the week, numerous meetings were held with technical teams from OFAC, COMIFAC, the Cameroonian Ministry of the Environment (MINEPDED), NaturAfricaCentral, IRD Cameroon, the Cooperation and Cultural Action Service of the French Embassy, as well as several international experts involved in data interoperability issues. A specific meeting also provided an opportunity for discussions between the OFAC technical team and the leaders of the One Forest Vision Platform pillar regarding Data Management Plans (DMPs).

These discussions confirmed a shared commitment to strengthening regional cooperation in order to facilitate the sharing of scientific data and improve its accessibility for the purposes of research and public decision-making.

2. Developing a regional strategy

The assessment highlights the robustness of the digital infrastructure developed by OFAC, in particular its geoportal, metadata catalogue and dashboards, which are now recognised as international benchmarks for the centralisation and analysis of data on the forests of Central Africa.

The discussions also identified several challenges to be addressed, including:

strengthening the governance of data sharing at regional level;

improving national capacities for data collection and validation;

simplifying certain institutional procedures to facilitate exchanges between Member States.

A debriefing meeting attended by six institutions provided an opportunity to share these initial findings and to jointly develop recommendations with all partners, whether present in person or connected remotely, fully illustrating the collaborative approach championed by the One Forest Vision initiative.

3. Prospects for accelerating the sharing of scientific data

This mission has resulted in a number of key recommendations, notably the development of a joint roadmap between COMIFAC and One Forest Vision to develop public data-sharing infrastructure, the preparation of joint projects on digital technology and scientific data, and the continuation of capacity-building initiatives in member countries.

Several events have already been scheduled to build on this momentum, including a technical workshop on SIFAC, a training session for OFVi PhD students and other regional initiatives in Douala, followed by the annual One Forest Vision seminar scheduled for October 2026, to which COMIFAC has given its agreement in principle to participate.

By fostering dialogue between scientific institutions, regional organisations and technical partners, One Forest Vision is pursuing its ambition to build a regional ecosystem of open, interoperable data that supports knowledge, sustainable forest management and public policy in the Congo Basin.