7 August 2019
Despite the immense potential of Africa’s vast, resource-rich forests, commercial investments in forestry have nearly ground to a halt across the continent over the course of the past decade. Since 2000, for instance, the commercial private sector has established only about 125,000 hectares of new plantations, whereas smallholders have planted a mere 250,000 hectares. To make....
25 June 2019
For a landscape programme in Ghana, Form International seeks an experienced Programme Director to lead the implentation of the programme in close collaboration with Form International and Form Ghana senior management.
3 September 2018
Read more about 25 years Form International - interview with Paul Hol in Houtwereld (in Dutch)
19 July 2018
This thematic issue of FAO’s Nature & Faune Journal contains an article on the vision and achievements of Form Ghana, in the light of the AFR-100 initiative. Read more about our strategy and way forward in “Scaling up commercial reforestation as part of forest landscape restoration: some key factors to success”.
27 June 2018
On 6 June Form International celebrated its 25th anniversary by organizing a symposium 'New Forests in a Changing World' for more than 100 attendees sharing experiences and lessons learned with presentations of Hans Docter, Maas Goote and staff members from Form International, Ghana and Tanzania.
19 June 2018
This thematic issue of FAO’s Nature & Faune Journal contains an article on the vision and achievements of Form Ghana, in the light of the AFR-100 initiative. Read more about our strategy and way forward in “Scaling up commercial reforestation as part of forest landscape restoration: some key factors to success”.
19 June 2018
The buffer zone around the reservoir dam in Kwaraguru was recently planted with indigenous species to create a link between a patch of forest near the tarmac road in which animals like Colobus monkeys live and the patches of forest towards the interior of the estate.
19 June 2018
Form Ghana’s planting target for 2018 has been completed. Besides 1,304 ha of teak, 18.5 ha of research trials were planted, including Teak from different provenances and Gmelina, and 295 ha of indigenous species. This means that, together with the 8,500 ha planted in former years, Form Ghana has now established 8,869 ha of teak and in total over 10,000 hectares reforested. This makes Form Ghana to our knowledge the largest teak plantation in Africa.
19 June 2018
In May 2018, Form Ghana's carbon credit claim has been independently verified under the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS), by a team of qualified assessors from the Italian Certifying Body RINA.
17 January 2018
Form International's Paul Hol, panellist at the Inclusive Finance Pavilion during Global Landscapes Forum in Bonn (December 2017).
18 December 2017
Mr. Rik Sools addressed the 53rd Session of the International Tropical Timber Council (ITTC), Lima, Peru, during the Annual Market Discussion which focused on “sharing experiences on promoting investment in tropical timber industries and tropical forestry” and spoke of Form’s investment and project experience in Ghana and Tanzania.
18 December 2017
In a 4-year project, in and around the Tain II Forest Reserve, Form works towards the restoration of the degraded landscape to its former production function, financed with private investments by DOB Ecology. The overall goal is integral management of a landscape (2,200 ha) with all stakeholders, in order to improve livelihoods, productivity and the protection of biodiversity.
18 December 2017
Recently one of Form International’s Advisory Board members, Mr Nanno Kleiterp, published his first book ‘Banking for a Better World’. The book emphasizes the scale of the challenge of fulfilling the UN’s sustainable development goals by 2030. Mr Kleiterp is chairman of the board of directors at European Development Finance Institutions, and was formerly CEO of the Dutch Entrepreneurial Development Bank FMO.
18 December 2017
Form International has developed a multiple year project to pilot the restoration of the Shea savannah landscape in northern Ghana. Main elements in the restoration strategy is to develop feasible and scalable models for tree planting and improved landscape management that integrate she and other trees on farms. Keys to success are production and distribution of high quality planting stock, good farming models, capacitation of local people in improved management techniques and set-up of nurseries to ensure local seedling production.
18 December 2017
In July 2017, we had the fabulous news from the African Development Bank (AfDB), approving the loan to extent the reforestation project in Ghana. This is considered a breakthrough in Climate Financing. For the AfDB the USD24 million loan to the Form Ghana project represents the first Private Sector direct investment in restoration of degraded forests, and the first Forest Investment Program (FIP) private sector project in Africa.
18 December 2017
In October 2017, the advanced EP-Nuffic tailor-made training took place at Form Ghana’s training center in Berekum. 33 forestry professionals, from different organizations, were intensively trained. The training was designed to meet specific needs of staff of reforestation projects and plantation companies.
3 October 2017
Form is nominated for the MVO Award 2017 Region Zwolle!
24 July 2017
The "Gateway to International Timber Trade" at www.timbertradeportal.com is a "one-stop" information point providing international timber traders and other users with information on the forest industries and legality requirements in timber-producing countries.
10 July 2017
Form Ghana reforestation project secures major African Development Bank funding. For the AfDB the USD24 million loan to the Form Ghana project represents the first Private Sector direct investment in restoration of degraded forests, and the first Forest Investment Program (FIP) private sector project in Africa. Reforestation company Form Ghana is initiator of the project, supported by the Dutch company Form International.
6 March 2017
Seeds of the allanblackia tree produce high quality oil for application in food and non-food products. Since 2010, Form International established and manages a pilot agroforest farm of allanblackia in Ghana. This is done for Unilever to test and demonstrate the cultivation of Allanblackia at larger scale. Unilever has now launched in Sweden the first organic certified margarine containing allanblackia oil, which is a major milestone for this sustainable oil.
20 December 2016
Form international and Form Ghana are working on a new approach to ensure further sustainable growth, expansion and consolidation of the Public Private Partnership in Ghana and to restore forest functions in degraded forest areas and safeguard the sector’s economic importance for the future by planting 20,000 hectares/year of new forest over the next 25 years.
20 December 2016
Paul Hol spoke at the Tanzania Plantation Forestry Conference in November 2015 in Dar Es Salaam about the successful Public Private Partnership (PPP) in Ghana and the opportunities of a similar partnership for optimal landuse in Tanzania.
19 December 2016
At the Paris climate talks (December 2015) 7 African leaders pledged to do more to protect the natural forest and replant degraded forest land, but the money to match this commitment is difficult to find. Trees need to be planted, grown and harvested before a return on investment is seen and that takes years. Katerina Vittozi, reporter for CCTV Africa News, made a report about this at Form Ghana Ltd. in Akumadan.
19 December 2016
NABC's 'Doing Business in Africa Award 2016' has been awarded to Form international. Managing Director of NABC Irene Visser is proud that Form international is this years’ winner. "Deforestation is one of the main challenges faced by the people of Africa. Form international's reforestation drive is having a large and important impact on the continent and we fully support their efforts."
3 November 2016
Form and SFI Tanzania purchased and introduced water purification plants on Kwamdulu and Kwaraguru estate. All employees and families residing on the estates now have access to clean drinking water.
1 November 2016
For the first time, the Nuffic Tailor Made Training on ‘Sustainable commercial reforestation management’ has been provided at Form Ghana’s training centre in Berekum. 32 young professionals working at Form Ghana Ltd. or at related institutes in Ghana, Togo, and Sierra Leone, have been trained in the field of reforestation management.
1 November 2016
Paul Hol and Peter Paap have published their article in FAO’s Nature & Faune magazine. The key message is that the private sector is ready to scale up commercial reforestation as part of forest landscape restoration. This message has also been communicated with investors and stakeholders during the Conference New Forests for Africa, in March of this year.
31 October 2016
The "Gateway to International Timber Trade" at www.timbertradeportal.com is a "one-stop" information point providing international timber traders and other users with information on the forest industries and legality requirements in timber-producing countries.
26 October 2016
21 parties expressed their intention to work together to realize 100,000 hectares of new forests in the Netherlands by 2050.
11 July 2016
Summer's here, which means it's time for an update. Paul Hol, initiator of the movement 'Forests for the Future - New Forests for Africa': 'In this update we share some documentation out of our Ghana conference and look forward to a similar conference in November in Tanzania. More information about this conference on UONGOZI Institute's website. They very much look forward to receiving you in Tanzania!'
21 June 2016
Form international is founder and partner of the initiative ‘Forests for the Future – New Forests for Africa’. This initiative has been established with the aim to stimulate and drive large scale reforestation in Africa. The target to reach 100 million hectares of new forests, which African nations have set them themselves is of an exceptional size. To realize this, African leaders see the need for sustainable forestry projects based on a long-term approach and multi-stakeholder benefit. They particularly see the benefit to intensify the cooperation with the private sector as they have the resources, innovation and the ability to deliver.
20 June 2016
Reforestation has been identified as one of the most effective tools against climate change. At the COP21 conference in Paris, 10 African countries pledged over 40 million hectares of land for reforestation. But planting a forest is costly. Who is going to pick up the bill?
14 June 2016
SFI Tanzania established a forestry area of about 200 ha, planted with eucalyptus and teak in April and May 2016. Most of the trees were planted at Kwaraguru Estate, involving about 70 people for the planting. Next to the general forest stands, a species trial was planted with a mixture of different species and provenances.
13 June 2016
Form Ghana engages in a tree planting and education program with six Ghanaian schools during May and June 2016 . Form Ghana’s development team assisted Accra schools in planting indigenous tree seedlings to create awareness and greening Ghana.
13 June 2016
The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Accra decided to use the reception in celebration of its national day, King's Day, to echo the reforestation message of the New Forests for Africa-conference by 'reforesting' the garden of the Ambassador's residence with 500 seedlings from Form Ghana.
8 June 2016
The AFR100 plan aims to restore 100m ha of degraded forest in Africa. A project in Ghana (Form) illustrates what can be done and the challenges that lie ahead.
7 June 2016
Form international attended the “Gold Standard 2016: Grow to Zero” conference in Switzerland. This conference brought together players from all sectors of the sustainability value chain to increase their impact toward meeting the goals established in the Climate Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals - from quick wins to long-term vision.
7 June 2016
Form international is one of the initiators of the movement 'Forests for the Future, New Forests for Africa', which completed its first conference on African soil in the Ghanaian capital Accra on March 16 and 17, 2016.
16 January 2016
Form international developed a one-stop online tropical producer information platform for the European Timber Trade Federation (ETTF). This online information platform has been launched now as the ‘Gateway to international Timber Trade’ www.timbertradeportal.com.
13 January 2016
This year Form Ghana reached a milestone in plantation forestry in Ghana: the first harvest of 3000 m3 quality teak has been realized from its FSC™-certified plantations in Akumadan.