AFRIKA_FORST PROJECT

Fostering the actor-institutions nexus in forest management: Theoretical construction and empirical analysis in sub-Saharan Africa

Duration: Three years (2024 – 2027)

Funded by: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft

Contact:
Jude Kimengsi, PhD (Principal Investigator & Project Coordinator)
Leader of the Forest Institutions and International Development (FIID) Research Group

Prof. Dr. Lukas Giessen (Project Host)

BACKGROUND
An unsettled structure-agency theoretical debate centres on the relative positions of actors on the one hand and institutions on the other hand, in shaping natural (forest) resource management outcomes.

OVERALL PROJECT FRAMEWORK

Studies in the field of institutions have explored the typology and effects of different forms of institutions on forest use and management in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), with very limited emphasis on the role of actors in the process. Actor-centred studies have equally analyzed their interests and power sources, while virtually ignoring the institutional dimension. Yet, a holistic appreciation of forest use and management requires fostering the “marriage” between institutions and actors.

PROJECT AIM AND OBJECTIVES

The objective of the project is thus to develop an actor-cum-institution theoretical framework and empirically test it in three culturally and ecologically diverse SSA settings: Cameroon (Central Africa), Ghana (West Africa) and Namibia (Southern Africa). The general objective is operationalized through the following sub-objectives:

• Develop and propose an actor-cum-institutions theoretical construct in the context of forest resource management in SSA.
• Determine conditions for the design of an actor-cum-institutions theoretical framework for forest resource management in SSA.
• Empirically test the actor-cum-institutions theoretical construct in socio-culturally and ecological diverse settings of SSA.
• Explore and explain the extent to which the joint actor-institutional analysis can advance actor-cum-institutional theories in forest use and management in SSA.

RESEARCH SITES

Ghana
Study site: Bia Conservation Landscape
Area: 30,600 ha

Cameroon
Study site: Santchou Forest Landscape
Area: 7,000 ha

Namibia
Study site: Okongo Forest Landscape
Area: 76,500 ha

PARTNER