Canopy Trust Mobilises USD 93 Million for High Impact Deforestation-Free Investments in Central Africa

Congo Basin Forest

The governments of Belgium, Germany and Norway, as well as CAFI have collectively committed USD 93 million in risk capital to Canopy Trust.

Canopy Trust’s will help us attract private investment to develop value chains that respect our environmental commitments while driving the sustainable industrialization our citizens deserve.”

— H.E. Marie Nyange Ndambo, Minister of Environment, DRC

BELEM, BRAZIL, November 17, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The governments of Belgium, Germany and Norway, as well as the Central African Forest Initiative (CAFI) have collectively committed USD 93 million in risk capital to Canopy Trust.

Canopy Trust is a blended finance facility established in early 2025 to attract, accelerate and scale up private investments in high impact deforestation-free value chains in Central Africa. Through new employment opportunities and income generation from deforestation-free value chains, communities can feed their families and prosper while protecting their forests. Canopy Trust focuses on investments in the Congo Basin, namely the Cameroon, Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, the Republic of the Congo.

"Preserving the Congo Basin forests is vital to achieving our global climate and nature goals. Through Canopy Trust, Norway is proud to help bridge the gap between public ambition and private investment, creating sustainable value chains that allow people and forests to thrive together. This initiative builds on and complements Norway’s long-standing commitment to partnerships that reduce deforestation and strengthen local livelihoods in the Congo Basin, including the Central African Forest Initiative." Says H.E. Andreas Bjelland Eriksen, Minister of Climate and Environment, Norway.

"Germany’s development cooperation places forest protection as well as sustainable land use at the heart of climate action and biodiversity conservation. We are committed to the Canopy Trust. It reflects our belief that blended finance can unlock new pathways for private investment in sustainable economies. Together with our partners in Central Africa, we can promote deforestation-free growth. We also support good governance, ensuring that forest communities benefit directly from sustainable value chains. This is part of the German contribution to the Belém Call to Action for the Congo Basin Forest." states H.E. Niels Annen, State Secretary, Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Germany.

As the pipeline of investments develops, Canopy Trust intends to mobilise a minimum of USD 500 million in private sector investments in deforestation-free value chains in Central Africa by 2035. Currently, there are more than 40 projects in the pipeline and 4 have already been approved to receive technical assistance in DRC: i) a network of high yield charcoal retorts and cassava industrial hubs, ii) a sustainable charcoal production unit incorporating a heat recovery unit for cassava; iii) a sustainable agriculture integrated value chain initiative, iv) a LPG micro-refilling platform providing alternative to wood fuel for communities (for further info, you may request the press kit).

As a blended finance facility, Canopy Trust offers risk-taking, early-stage catalytic capital to investment opportunities, aiming at eventually attracting commercial investors into these projects with scaled-up amounts of capital. Canopy Trust focuses on value chains with the highest potential to address key drivers of deforestation and targets investments that can generate increased income for the local population. In addition, Canopy Trust will offer concessional capital to investment funds. Direct investments in high impact proof-of-concepts made by Canopy Trust can be ultimately taken to scale by these investment funds.

The recipient countries welcome the investment opportunity.

Her Excellency Marie Nyange Ndambo, Minister of Environment, Sustainable Development and New Climate Economy, Democratic Republic of Congo, host of the session, said "The Democratic Republic of the Congo holds around 60% of the Congo Basin forests — a global carbon sink of critical importance. Canopy Trust’s innovative approach will help us attract responsible private investment to develop value chains that respect our environmental commitments while driving the sustainable industrialization our citizens deserve. We are committed to accelerating reforms that improve the business environment, so that investors can partner with us with confidence and scale sustainable growth."

“The Republic of Congo views the Canopy Trust as a strategic instrument for leveraging our natural capital—a mechanism that demonstrates that biodiversity conservation can and must go hand in hand with a dynamic forest economy. By coherently mobilizing public policies, concessional financing, and private capital, it is time to shift the paradigm by transforming the protection of our ecosystems into a genuine force for creating sustainable value for our country and for all,” stated Rosalie Matondo, Minister of Forest Economy of the Republic of Congo.

Canopy Trust is implemented by Catalytic Finance Foundation, a Swiss-based foundation specialised in mobilising the private sector through blended finance solutions.

Cecilia Serin
Catalytic Finance Foundation
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