(Press Release) Protecting Africa’s Forests for Future Generations: Sharing Malaysia’s Expertise in Sustainable Forest Management

JICA Malaysia Office in collaboration with the Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and FRIM Inc. will host a Third-Country Training Program (*) titled “Forest management and Conservation for African Countries” from October 5 to 16, 2026, to share Malaysia’s experience in sustainable forest management and conservation.

African forests are essential for environmental stability, biodiversity conservation, and the achievement of key UN Sustainable Development Goals. However, their sustainable ecosystem services is challenged by various issues including the increasing competition for land from agriculture, mining, energy development, livestock production, and human settlements.

To address these challenges, Third-Country Training Program will be conducted by FRIM Inc, a wholly owned subsidiary Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM), a premier research institution in Malaysia dedicated to the advancement of forestry and forest-related research, development, conservation and commercialization under the umbrella of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability (NRES). FRIM Inc. will host ten trainees from Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda to provide training on forest management and conservation. At the same time, the course also invited a Japanese expert in forestry and afforestation from Rakuno Gakuen University, Hokkaido, Japan to hold lecture session to the participants on short term basis. This session will be held on 13^th October 2026 under the topic of Geospatial Technologies for Forest monitoring and Sustainable Forest Management.

FRIM was established in 1926, is a globally recognized institution in forestry research and conservation. Following its designation as a National Heritage Site and the inscription of FRIM Forest Park Selangor as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2025, FRIM is well positioned to support international capacity building. Leveraging FRIM's expertise and proven track record in sustainable forest management, this program aims to support participating African countries in strengthening their technical expertise, practical competencies, and institutional capacity. By enhancing knowledge and skills in forest conservation and sustainable resource management, the program hopes to contribute to improved forest governance, ecosystem resilience, and sustainable socio-economic development.

(*) “Third-Country Training Program (TCTP)”: A type of technical cooperation in which JICA provides financial and technical support for training programs in which one developing country hosts trainees from another developing country. The main objective of TCTP is to share the experiences of Japan and Malaysia in specific fields and to strengthen the trainees’ ability to address various challenges in their home countries. In this region, the Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been implementing the Malaysia Technical Cooperation Program (MTCP) since 1980, and since 1992, the Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and JICA have been jointly conducting TCTPs.

The overview of this training program is as follows.

1. Program Overview

1) Program Name

“Forest Management and Conservation for African Countries”

2) Training Organizer : FRIM Inc.

3) Training Dates : October 5–16, 2026

4) Training Venue : FRIM, Selangor

5) Target Country : Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda

6) Training Content
This training program is organized by FRIM Inc., the training provider, to share the experiences and best practices of Malaysia and Japan regarding forest management and conservation—as outlined below – with various government officer for targeted African countries.

(i) Sustainable Forest Management

(ii) Biodiversity Conservation

(iii)Forest Carbon Management, Climate Finance and Carbon Market Readiness

(iv) Geospatial Technologies for Forest Monitoring and Sustainable Forest Management

(v) Forest Plantation Management

(vi) Community-Based Forest Management

(vii) Forest Landscape Restoration

(viii) Publication of Country Reports and Action Plans

2. Related Events

Closing Ceremony :
Date: October 16, 2026
at Venue: FRIM, Selangor

3. Contact Information

JICA Malaysia Office　
Tel (Main): +603-2166-8900
Contact Person: Mr. Hafiz Othman
E-mail: HafizOthman.MS▲jica.go.jp
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