The African Forest Forum (AFF) is a pan-African non-governmental organisation with its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. It is an association of individuals who share the quest for and commitment to the sustainable management, use, and conservation of the forest and tree resources of Africa for the socioeconomic wellbeing of its people and for the stability and improvement of its environment. The purpose of AFF is to provide a platform and create an enabling environment for independent and objective analysis, advocacy, and advice on relevant policy and technical issues pertaining to achieving sustainable management, use, and conservation of Africa’s forest and tree resources as part of efforts to reduce poverty, promote gender equality, and economic and social development.

AFF has secured funding from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) to implement a project entitled “Transforming the African Forest Forum to enhance its capacity to improve livelihoods and environmental stability through better management of African forest and tree resources.” The project seeks to generate and share knowledge that enhances sustainable management of forests and trees outside forests, in the context of climate change for improved human wellbeing and environmental protection in Africa. One of the key project objectives is to “Improve management of forest biodiversity to secure the supply of ecosystem goods and services and safeguard human wellbeing in selected biodiversity hotspots.”

Duties and Responsibilities
For its plan of work for 2024, AFF plans to conduct studies on opportunities and interventions to facilitate improvement of value chains of biodiversity products and services in forest biodiversity hotspots to support community resilience to climate change. For this, AFF is recruiting five national experts, one per country, to undertake country studies in five forest biodiversity hotspots in Africa. There will be one study per hotspot, namely Madagascar and the Indian Ocean Islands; Guinean Forests of West Africa; Eastern Afromontane; Coastal Forests of Eastern Africa; and Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany. Each of the five national experts will cover one biodiversity hotspot.

Education, Knowledge, and Experience

• Have at least a master’s degree in natural resources management, forestry, natural resource economics, environmental management, or any related area; a PhD will be an added advantage.
• Be a regional expert with broad knowledge and at least five years’ experience post MSc, in forestry and biodiversity management, and forest products development in Africa.
• Have good writing skills and have at least written a book chapter and published peer-reviewed journal papers.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English or French.