African Coalition Rejects $125bn Tropical Forest Forever Facility at COP30

The Africa Make Big Polluters Pay (MBPP) Coalition has rejected the newly launched Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF), a $125 billion blended-finance fund unveiled at the ongoing COP30 climate summit in Brazil.

The Facility, promoted by Brazil, is designed to provide annual payments to countries for conserving and maintaining their forests. But the African coalition, which comprises more than 32 organisations including Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), Gender CC Southern Africa, and the Global Forest Coalition (GFC), said the initiative fails to address the real needs of climate-vulnerable nations.

In a statement, the group said the TFFF risks turning tropical forests into “tradable assets” dominated by financial institutions, warning that the model could undermine Indigenous stewardship and deepen economic dependence for countries across the continent.

According to the coalition, several African nations — including Nigeria, Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Liberia, Mozambique, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Togo, and Uganda, face the possibility of being drawn into what it described as an arrangement that prioritises investor returns over community needs.

The coalition criticised the Facility’s proposed payment structure, which would provide countries about US$4 per hectare of standing forest annually. 

It described the amount as inadequate compared to the ecological and economic value of tropical forests.

The MBPP also raised concerns about the Fund’s financial design, saying returns to investors are prioritised before any payment to countries. 

It argued that linking forest protection payments to the performance of an investment portfolio could heighten corporate influence and limit benefits to affected communities.

The group further rejected the decision to appoint the World Bank as trustee of the Facility, saying past experience shows that Bank-managed climate finance mechanisms centralise control, slow down disbursements, and exclude frontline communities.

Akinbode Oluwafemi, Executive Director of CAPPA, said the move risked turning forest conservation into a profit-driven venture. 

Mokoena Ndivile of Gender CC Southern Africa said the arrangement could weaken community rights, particularly for women who rely on forest resources for livelihoods. 

Kwami Kpondzo of the Global Forest Coalition added that World Bank involvement may sideline Indigenous knowledge and local governance systems.

The coalition urged global leaders to oppose the TFFF and instead support transparent, community-driven climate finance mechanisms that reinforce local control and environmental justice.

The statement concluded that the Facility, in its current form, “offers no clear path to climate justice” and may divert attention from community-led conservation efforts.