Bonga, Ethiopia | 28 August 2026. The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) and the Southwest Ethiopia Peoples’ Region (SWEPR) government convened a validation workshop for the Integrated Sector Development, Land Use and Forest Management Action Plan prepared for the regional state. 

The event follows the Multi-Stakeholder Consultation and Negotiation Workshop held in Bonga on June 29 and 30, where agriculture, forestry, mining, water and urban development officials from across the region, zone and districts negotiated how competing land-use priorities would be reconciled. The session presented the resulting draft plan back to stakeholders for review and validation; the last major step before the document is formally handed to the regional government for implementation. 

Yematalem Chekol, Head of SWEPR’s Urban Development and Infrastructure Bureau

“This is a global issue, and Ethiopia has done a great deal on this front over the past five years,” said Yematalem Chekol, Head of SWEPR’s Urban Development and Infrastructure Bureau. “Integrating land use with natural resource conservation is a national concern, and GGGI’s work here is a significant contribution to the country, and our region as well. Our region is known for its long-standing tradition of conserving forests, and this study comes at exactly the time the region needs it. Rather than working individually, sectors now have a way to work together in an integrated manner. We have to put this plan into practice on the ground, and I thank GGGI for its valuable contribution The draft plan reflects months of technical work, field assessments, key informant interviews, focus group discussions and geospatial analysis across 12 Woredas, followed by the June negotiation workshop where sector representatives worked through land-use trade-offs directly with one another. The validation workshop tested that draft against a wider group of stakeholders, including representatives from academia, to confirm it holds up to scrutiny before implementation begins. 

Dr. Kassahun Kelifa, Task Team Leader and Principal Consultant

“The purpose of this assignment is to design a spatially explicit, technically robust document that can guide investment, forest conservation, urban development, agricultural transformation, infrastructure and tourism across SWEPR,” said Dr. Kassahun Kelifa, Task Team Leader and Principal Consultant. “It sets a clear course of action for the region’s investment and conservation ambitions and supports resource mobilization going forward.” 

Dr. Askale Gebremichael, Director of Research at Mizan Tepi University in the SWEPR

Dr. Askale Gebremichael, Director of Research at Mizan Tepi University in the SWEPR, welcomed the participatory nature of the process. “The process was participatory throughout. As a new region, having a land use management plan helps us use land properly, conserve forests, and identify land for different purposes. The real question is how we conserve these natural resources and pass them on to the next generation. As an individual, and as an office, we will coordinate and work in partnership with others. This is not the job of one sector or one NGO. Every one of us has a role to play.” 

Benedict Irwin, GGGI Ethiopia’s Sustainable Landscape Lead

Benedict Irwin, GGGI Ethiopia’s Sustainable Landscape Lead, described what sets this planning process apart. “This is a new planning system, one where multiple sector work together to achieve sustainable land use and economic development. We developed it with the local government and community through deep consultation, and the key difference is that it’s not a prescribed solution; it’s negotiated, with everyone agreeing to work together to tackle deforestation and land degradation in the region. 

“Sectors here are competing for the same land, and the government has real ambitions to reduce poverty, even as urban growth, infrastructure and agricultural expansion put pressure on an environment that includes a biosphere reserve and the birthplace of coffee. The path forward is collaboration, meeting our development goals while conserving what makes this landscape unique. 

“This isn’t a standalone initiative. Through our Sida-funded project, we’ve supported community empowerment and capacity building to lay the groundwork for implementation, and none of this would have been possible without the local government and our partners.” 

The plan sits within GGGI’s Conservation and Sustainable Management of Forested Landscapes (CSMFL) Project, financially supported by the Embassy of Sweden and jointly implemented with the Environment and Coffee Forest Forum (ECFF), in close collaboration with federal and regional government institutions. 

Following validation, the plan will be formally submitted to the SWEPR regional government for adoption and implementation, alongside a proposed governance structure for cross-sector coordination, capacity-building support, and decision-support tools to guide local authorities as they apply the plan on the ground.  

End. 

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