[WLRC, October 2025] — The African Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies (AfriOCAT) platform was officially launched on 23rd October 2025 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. AfriOCAT was as Africa’s continental version of the World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies (WOCAT) framework, as a documentation and knowledge-sharing platform on Sustainable Land Management (SLM), AfriOCAT is aimed also to strengthen North-South collaboration with WOCAT and South-South Collaboration among African countries and institutions working on SLM across the continent.
The Director General of the Water and Land Resource Centre (WLRC) Dr. Gete Zeleke in his welcoming addess at the high level launching event highlighted that Africa is now ready to document its unique conservation technologies, approaches, and experiences through AfriOCAT. He acknowledged the valuable role of WOCAT as a global platform for sharing best practices in SLM. Dr. Gete emphasized that AfriOCAT is essential for Africa, where land degradation has severely affected ecosystems and the livelihoods of millions.
Speaking on behalf of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), Ms. Milcah Ndegwa, UNCCD Associate Programme Officer, underscored the link between healthy land and a healthy planet. She advocated for the protection and restoration of degraded land through sustainable practices, stating, “A restored land is a land of endless opportunities — it is time to unlock them [those opportunities] now.”
Mr. Kwame Ababio, Senior Programme Officer for Climate Resilience Mitigation at the African Union Development Agency – New Partnership for Africa’s Development (AUDA-NEPAD), on his part commended the AfriOCAT initiative for its huge potentials as a platform for integrating indigenous knowledge with international scientific knowledge and experiences. He called the launch “a significant step toward advancing SLM from an African perspective”.
Representing the FDRE Ministry of Agriculture’s State Minister for Natural Resources Management H.E. Professor Eyasu Elias, the Ethiopian Forest Development Director General H.E. Mr. Kebede Yimam in his opening address stressed that more than 485 million people in Africa are directly impacted by land degradation. He called for unity and collective action to scale up SLM efforts, emphasizing, “the AfriOCAT network would only as strong as the commitment and contributions of its members”. “AfrioCAT”, he added, “will capture a vast wealth of knowledge and expertise on SLM practices from across Africa and can serve as a vital space for exchanging experiences and enhancing joint impact.”
Representing the WOCAT Secretariat, Mrs. Nicole Harari, a Research Scientist, on Sustainable Land Systems Impact Area, at the Center for Environment and Development, University of Bern, Switzerland, reflected on WOCAT’s long history of supporting documentation and dissemination of SLM technologies and approaches, and expressed pride in the establishment of AfriOCAT as a region-specific platform rooted in WOCAT’s wisdoms.
The high-level launch event brought together numerous stakeholders, including senior officials from the FDRE Ministry of Agriculture, AfriOCAT consortium members from across the continent, WOCAT Secretariat and members, and other key partners. The launch formed part of a training workshop hosted by WLRC in collaboration with WOCAT and AUDA-NEPAD from 20–23 October 2025 in Addis Ababa.