The Africa Palm Oil Initiative Highlights from 2020-2021

APOI countries have each followed a three-phase APOI process: engagement, development and implementation. As part of the implementation phase, National Principles and Action Plans were developed to guide the implementation of sustainable palm oil production in each country. To ensure the coordination and success of the national principles and action plans, multi-stakeholder national platforms were established during the development phase to facilitate the implementation process. In this current implementation phase of APOI, countries have been spending the year working on their sustainability plans and getting back to fieldwork and training following the Covid-enforced hiatus.

In particular, integrating APOI principles with national government processes has been integral to the success of the initiatives, as well as capacity building at government level, but also with local communities. Furthermore, government endorsement, local buy-in and financial sustainability is essential to ensuring the long-term success and effectiveness of the APOI platforms.