Experts and grassroots leaders from around the world are convening in Nairobi for the 2025 edition of the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) Africa, a gathering aimed at unlocking nature's potential to address Africa’s pressing environmental and economic challenges.

Themed “Innovate, Restore, Prosper”, this seventh edition of the forum is being held on June 19, 2025, at the CIFOR-ICRAF headquarters in Gigiri, Nairobi.

The high-level, one-day summit focuses on strategies to combat land degradation, halt biodiversity loss, and respond to the climate crisis while fostering sustainable growth across the continent.

Organised by the Global Landscapes Forum and CIFOR-ICRAF, the event will spotlight Africa’s progress and prospects in building resilient, thriving communities and ecosystems.

Discussions are structured around four core themes: forest and landscape restoration; land and tree tenure and livelihoods; sustainable finance and natural capital; and the role of artificial intelligence and digital innovation in shaping smart landscapes.

GLF, the world’s leading platform on integrated land use, connects diverse stakeholders with the shared mission of creating productive, inclusive, and climate-resilient landscapes.

It operates under the leadership of CIFOR-ICRAF, and in partnership with UNEP, the World Bank, and other key institutions.

This year’s forum emphasizes the need to build Africa’s “natural economy” amid growing environmental threats.

The continent continues to grapple with interconnected crises widespread land degradation, shrinking biodiversity, and climate change.

However, current investments, policy frameworks, and land governance mechanisms fall short of what is necessary to drive meaningful change.

The event aligns with global frameworks such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, reaffirming GLF’s commitment to landscape-based solutions.

With time quickly running out to address Africa’s escalating environmental crises, experts at the 2025 Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) Africa are urging the continent to urgently invest in a nature-powered economy.

According to GLF, this transition requires unlocking the continent’s immense natural capital its forests, biodiversity, fertile lands, and water resources while integrating traditional knowledge, robust governance, strategic partnerships, artificial intelligence (AI), and big data.

This year’s Nairobi forum brings together over 60 influential voices from across the globe. Among the standout speakers is Balbina Andrew, a respected leader from Tanzania’s Indigenous community, who also serves as executive director of Nourish Africa and coordinates the GLFx Mwanza grassroots network.

Also featured is Kate Kallot, founder and CEO of Amini AI, a pioneer in expanding tech access across the continent.

Kallot was recently named one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People in AI for her groundbreaking work in using data and AI to address Africa’s environmental and economic challenges.

Other notable speakers at GLF Africa 2025 include Peter Minang, CIFOR-ICRAF’s Africa Director and a leading voice on climate-smart landscapes, and Ngobi Joel, co-founder of the School Food Forest Initiative in Uganda.

Joel, named a 2025 GLF Forest Restoration Steward, is known for his work at the intersection of climate action, education, and rural development.

Rekia Foudel, founder and managing partner of the Barka Fund, also joins the lineup. Recognized as one of the GLF’s 8 Women with a New Vision for Earth 2025, Foudel champions innovative finance models for African startups.

Another key speaker is Sellah Bogonko, co-founder and CEO of Jacob’s Ladder Africa, which aims to catalyze 30 million green jobs across the continent by 2033.

The forum also features Solange Bandiaky-Badji, president of the Rights and Resources Group (RRG) and coordinator of the Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI).

Bandiaky-Badji is celebrated for her leadership in advancing gender justice within land rights movements.

These and other changemakers including youth activists, researchers, gender equity advocates, financiers, and policy experts will delve into how Africa can harness nature to power a just, resilient, and prosperous future.

Discussions will center on securing community land rights, restoring degraded ecosystems, scaling up farmer-managed natural regeneration, and expanding access to sustainable livelihoods, with case studies from Kenya and Ethiopia.

Additional sessions will explore ways to bridge science, local knowledge, and policy for inclusive restoration,

Workshops, peer learning, and networking sessions at GLF Africa 2025 are designed to bring together grassroots knowledge, academic research, and regional policy perspectives.

These collaborative spaces will focus on issues such as community-led restoration, inclusive governance, climate justice, breaking sectoral silos, and innovative funding models.

One standout session titled ‘From Risk to Resilience: Financing Frontline Action for Climate, Nature and Livelihoods’ will challenge the limitations of conventional Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) frameworks.

Current ESG models, while useful for risk assessment, are insufficient to confront the scale of the climate crisis.

This session will advocate for a transformative approach to sustainable finance one that channels investments directly to communities implementing local solutions in climate resilience and ecological restoration.

Trailblazers in ESG reform and impact investment will illustrate how funding targeted at smallholder farmers, rural initiatives, and restoration efforts can drive progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Another key discussion will explore strategies to scale up Farmer-Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR) in Africa, drawing on successful interventions in Kenya and Ethiopia.

Using insights from the FMNR Scaling Manual and World Vision’s atingi e-learning module, the session will highlight the vital role of communities, governments, and development partners in advancing land restoration efforts.

A separate panel will focus on African-led Agri-Tech solutions, showcasing how the fusion of traditional knowledge and modern technology particularly AI is helping transform food systems to become more resilient and equitable.

The event will also spotlight African women innovators at the forefront of digital change and sustainability, demonstrating how they are shaping the future through ground-breaking, locally grounded solutions.

GLF Africa 2025 will also host an interactive dialogue that examines how different forms of knowledge ranging from indigenous oral traditions to satellite data can be integrated to drive inclusive, trustworthy, and innovative landscape restoration.

The session will challenge hierarchies of knowledge and seek to build a more equitable foundation for environmental decision-making.

Drawing lessons from initiatives like Regreening Africa and the Great Green Wall, the forum will explore ways to foster trust and collaboration across different knowledge systems and stakeholder groups.

To close the forum, CIFOR-ICRAF CEO and Director-General Eliane Ubalijoro will deliver a summary of the core takeaways, outlining a practical, tech-enabled, and community-centered roadmap to grow Africa’s nature-based economy.

This vision aims to create millions of green jobs while restoring degraded landscapes.

Ultimately, GLF Africa 2025 will serve as a launchpad for turning vision into action mobilizing tools, financing, and partnerships to help Africa lead in ecological restoration and sustainable development.