Who are we!

The Congo Basin Leaders’ Initiative is a large network of professionals, actors in the private sector and scientists. They are experts and nature conservation stakeholders with focus on the Congo Basin.

Notre Vision

CBLI vision is to make the Congo Basin the best-conserved forest ecosystem in the world while maintaining its ecological and cultural integrity, and in which local, riparian and indigenous communities are fully involved and their traditional knowledge is sufficiently valued.

Beyond their national borders, CBLI expert consistently reflect on the conservation challenges in the Congo Basin, share best practices to promote local solutions to local problems with the overall ambition to protecting ecosystems and promoting the development of local communities in the region.

origin

L’Initiative des dirigeants du bassin du Congo est un résultat du Conclave du bassin du Congo qui a été organisé à Kinshasa du 22 au 24 avril 2024 avec un financement fourni par le Département d’État américain via l’ambassade des États-Unis à Kinshasa.

The Congo Basin Leaders’ Initiative is an outcome of the Congo Basin Conclave that was organized in Kinshasa from April 22 to 24, 2024 with funding provided by the US Department of State via the US embassy – Kinshasa. One hundred and eleven (111) experts from the five of six countries of the Congo Basin took part in the conclave, namely those of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo-Brazzaville, Cameroon, Gabon, and Equatorial Guinea. Among the participants were experts, cultural actors, NGO representatives, entrepreneurs, development actors and Congolese officials.

The Conclave was subdivided in two phases (country dialogues and actual regional conclave).

A participatory methodological approach was adopted with at its core various stakeholders in the conservation of ecosystems in the Congo Basin. The latter shaped the overall conclave under 6 thematic groups, which are the focus of the Congo Basin Leaders’ Initiatives:

Thematic 1

Ecotourism, conservation, and protection of biodiversity

Thematic 2

Waste management

Thematic 3

Deforestation and production of alternative and/or renewable energies

Thematic 4

Land Governance, Forest Governance and Sustainable Agriculture (Agroforestry)

Thematic 5

Culture and Environmental Education

Thematic 6

Socio-economic rights of local, indigenous, and riparian populations and the enhancement of traditional knowledge

For a quick reminder, the Congo Basin Conclave was a project of the US embassy Kinshasa with funding provided by the U.S. Government and administered by Groupe Utalii Kwetu & Kongo River. Groupe Utalii Kwetu was in charge of the logistics related to the pre-conclave in 5 targeted countries and the Conclave itself in Kinshasa while Kongo River focused on the cultural aspect of the Congo Basin Conclave in Kinshasa

Our Team

Chairman of the Board of Directors

Zacharie Tchoundjeu (Cameroun)

Principal Scientist with a focus on Agroforestry & Tree Domestication of high-value indigenous fruit trees and medicinal plants. Winner of the National Geographic Society/Buffett Award for his Leadership in Conservation in Africa.

Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors

MOUKOKO Alain-Georges (Gabon)

Judge and Founding President of the Association of Green Magistrates of Gabon

Secretary-Rapporteur to the Board of Directors

NTAMUZINDA W'Igulu Elodie (RDC)

Expert at the Economic and Social Council of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Electoral Commissioner | Electoral Advisory Council (SADC) and Regional Moderator of the Francophone African Women's Network for the achievement of the SDGs

Advisor to the Board of Directors

Marie-Hélène Pingoud (Swisse)

Entrepreneur (Jaune Congo / Rouge Congo) and expert in monitoring and evaluation especially for EU programmes.

Regional Executive Director

Veridique Musambaghani (RDC)

A social entrepreneur with focus on sustainable entrepreneurship. Veridique holds a MBA as well as various Master’s level certificate on diplomacy and transnational Governance (European University Institute – Italy), leadership in Business (CESAG – Dakar & University of Nevada Reno – USA) and transformational leadership (Drexel University – USA). Serial entrepreneur, He is the Cofounder of Groupe Utalii Kwetu and Kwafrika Travel.

Deputy Regional Executive Director

Jerayaj Shuka Jonathan (RDC)

Publicist lawyer and environmentalist (Master in Biodiversity Conservation), Jonathan Shuka is independent consultant, a civil society actor who works on the themes on Environment, Peace and Security, Governance and Decentralization. He is a trainer in project management and an expert in the design and evaluation of public policies.