Denis & Lenora Foretia Foundation

Cameroon is often called "Africa in miniature" for its forests, rivers, and wildlife. But these systems are under real pressure.

Every year, the country loses about 190,000 hectares of forest. Over 60% of major water bodies now show declining quality. The two are connected: clear the forest upstream, and the river downstream gets clogged with sediment, hurting the fishing communities who depend on it.

Read more here: https://nkafu.org/no-blue-no-green-cameroons-ecosystem-preservation-and-its-impact-on-local-communities/

What does Africa need to gain more value from its digital future?

The 31st edition of On Policy Africa Magazine looks at this question through the lens of artificial intelligence, energy, data, infrastructure, and policy choices.

It brings together reflections on what African countries can do to strengthen local capacity and make better decisions in a fast-changing digital environment.

Download a copy 👉 https://onpolicy.org/

Public decisions are only as good as the evidence behind them. Better data helps governments understand who needs services, where reforms are failing, and what should change.

Good ideas are not enough. A reform works only if institutions can implement it. That requires budgets, staff, data, coordination, incentives, and accountability.

People judge institutions through daily experience: schools, hospitals, councils, tax offices, courts, and public services. Trust grows when those services work fairly and reliably. Governance reform must be felt in everyday life.

Women are often told to be resilient. Policy should also ask what systems make participation possible: finance, childcare, safety, property rights, fair work, and justice. What should come first?

Care work keeps families and communities functioning, but it is rarely counted in economic policy. When women carry most of that work, their time for jobs, business, education, and leadership is reduced. Care is an economic issue.

Women do not face only one economic barrier. Violence, care responsibilities, access to finance, informal work, and social norms all shape opportunity. Policy must address the full chain if economic inclusion is to be real.