From a Global Workshop held by ANAFE on Improving Forestry Education in Nairobi, Kenya in September 2007, it was established that there is a need for major forestry education reforms and coordination worldwide. Among other observations, the workshop noted the following critical issues:

• Interest in Forestry Education in the world is declining due to reduced emphasis on traditional forestry.
• The current investment trend in forestry education favours professional as opposed to vocational and technical training, resulting in weak capacity for tree and forest management. There is a serious disparity between theoretical knowledge and the demand for applied innovations on the ground.
• Forestry curricula, pedagogy and learning resources remain largely traditional and grossly inadequate in addressing current challenges, especially meeting rural development needs, biodiversity, climate change, water, energy, wildlife & environmental conservation and sustenance of agricultural productivity
• The links of forestry to livelihoods, business and development require complete re-orientation in tandem with recent and future perspectives in integrated natural resources management
• There is an urgent need to re-envision the direction for forestry and develop future models in education, research and technical innovations.
• Recent formation of regional forestry education and research networks is a positive move which requires support.
• There is a need to establish global mechanisms to guide, monitor and mobilize support for forestry education reforms and innovation.

This project is concerned with discussing and forming a consensus in forestry institutions in sub-Saharan Africa on the key challenges they face in forestry education and developing their own home-grown solutions. The concrete outputs of the roundtable meeting are:

• A consensus on forestry education issues;
• A clear strategy for addressing forestry education weaknesses;
• A draft proposal for funding activities in the agreed strategy; and
• A firm commitment for collaboration among the institutions of learning in forestry in Eastern Africa