West and Central Africa countries unite to strengthen commitments on sustainable agricultural production

Accra, Ghana – May 6, 2025 – Ten West and Central African countries converge in Accra for the 9^th Regional Meeting of the Africa Sustainable Commodities Initiative (ASCI). ASCI is a shared set of principles for the responsible production of agricultural commodities in Africa, protecting forests, good governance, and transparency, while ensuring social benefits for farmers, communities, marginalised people and safeguarding their human rights. 

Building upon the Africa Palm Oil Initiative (APOI) principles established at COP22 in 2016, ASCI recognises the important intersection of agriculture, deforestation, and climate change. Cameroon, Central African Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Gabon, Ghana, Liberia, Republic of Congo, and Sierra Leone collectively represent 25% of the world’s tropical forests and 75% of Africa’s forests. The region is therefore critical for both regional and global climate stability.

“ASCI puts producer countries in Africa at the forefront of defining the principles for the sustainable development of cocoa, rubber, palm oil, coffee and other commodities, in a way that protects livelihoods and natural resources”, said Abraham Baffoe, Global and Africa Director; Proforest. “After years of policy and legislative advances, as well as capacity building and awareness raising, ASCI has demonstrated the leadership of African countries in creating the conditions for sustainable agricultural production,” he added.

The ASCI’s impactful work was recently recognised with the prestigious Schwab Foundation Award for Collective Social Innovators of 2025 at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Key thematic areas of the 9^th meeting include:

• 10 years of ASCI: The role of the private public partnerships in building an enabling policy and business environment for responsible development of agricultural commodities.
• Responsible Investment and Its Implications for Smallholder Development and International Trade in Palm Oil Products and other agricultural commodities.
• Unlocking Climate Finance: Strategies for African countries to enhance their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and effectively implement the Paris Agreement.

This year’s meeting, co-hosted with Solidaridad, welcomes over 60 participants from 15 countries, including key representatives from government, civil society organisations, the private sector, and national and international bodies.

“We are pleased to co-host this 9th ASCI platform meeting in partnership with Proforest under our NISCOPS programme which seeks to ensure that oil palm landscapes are sustainably managed, and smallholder farmers measurably benefit from being part of the supply chain; a vision that aligns with the Africa Sustainable Commodities Initiative,” Eric Amoako Agyare, Country Representative for Solidaridad in Ghana said.