Strong leaders, effective organisations, accelerated impact
The Canopy Leadership programme is a year-long, peer-to-peer leadership development initiative bringing together 10 of the leading local and national African civil society organisations working on community forestry and community-led conservation across four countries in the Congo Basin region.
The programme is a partnership between Well Grounded and Maliasili, with the aim of learning from one another about our respective approaches and methodologies, while developing and delivering an innovative leadership programme.
Programme partner: Maliasili
Maliasili has worked with more than 40 local and national CSOs in eastern and southern Africa and Madagascar, which are leading community-based solutions for conservation and natural resource governance.
As part of its goal to strengthen local organisations, Maliasili runs leadership programmes which have so far included more than 115 African conservation leaders.
Well Grounded and Maliasili have collaborated on joint research, learning, and communications initiatives since 2014, but this is the first time the two organisations have partnered on delivering a leadership programme.
Why a joint leadership initiative?
Amplified impact
By drawing on the most successful aspects of each organisation’s leadership development approach, methodology and expertise, we will be able to provide the best possible support to leaders and CSOs in the Congo Basin so that they can have greater impact on the ground.
Enhanced learning
Enriching our thinking and approaches to leadership by sharing ideas, knowledge and experiences on leadership development.
Greater visibility
By working together, we will have a higher profile and wider reach by tapping into the networks of each organisation. Joint work will lead to outcomes that are more than the sum of the parts.
The Canopy Leadership Programme is structured around three levels of leadership:
Individual Level
The individual level of the programme will focus on developing self-awareness, emotional intelligence, diversity-equity-inclusion and how to build trust and resilience.
Organisational Level
The organisational level of the programme will focus on improving management skills, fundraising, and communications, as well as addressing conflict within and beyond the organisation.
Systems Level
The systems level of the programme will focus on understanding the values, norms, and power dynamics that contribute to inequality, discrimination, and violence. Participants will also learn how to build stronger peer-to-peer linkages and collaborate with other organisations.
Who is in the cohort?
Regional
FLAG
(Field Legality Advisory Group)
A regional organisation that promotes transparency and legality in the management of natural resources with expertise in independent and community-based monitoring
(based in Yaounde, est. 2012)
Republic of Congo (Congo-Brazzaville)
CJJ
(Comptoir Juridique Junior)
A national NGO established by young lawyers committed to strengthening actions that enable people to live out their individual and collective rights with legal expertise on forest governance and community rights
(based in Brazzaville, est. 2000)
Democratic Republic of Congo
Reseau CREF
A Network for the Conservation and Restoration of Forest Ecosystems with 31 environmental NGOs working to protect and sustainably manage natural resources with communities across North Kivu
(based in Goma, est. 2003)
TRAFFED
(Travail en Réseau avec les Fédérations des Femmes et Enfants en Détresse)
A Network of Federations of Women and Children, a rights-based NGO supporting sustainable development and nature conservation in the Itombwe forest massif in South Kivu
(based in Bukavu, est. 2003)
Cameroon
CERAF-Nord
(Centre des Ressources Agroforestières forestières et de Formation continue)
A community-based NGO working on locally-led land restoration in and around the Bénoué National Park in northern Cameroon
(based in Garoua, est. 2003)
COMAID
(Community Assistance in Development)
A national organisation working to support rural communities to achieve sustainable development in the areas of land governance, natural resource management, and community empowerment
(based in Bamenda, est. 2007)
SEKAKOH
An organisation promoting ape conservation in the Kom forest located in the North-West region of Cameroon
(based in Bamenda, est. 2015)
Gabon
Muyissi Environment
An organisation established by farmers and activists to protect community land rights in Gabon and ensure that communities are active in natural resource management
(based in Mouila, est. 2008)
NADA
(Nsombou Abalghe-Dzal Association)
An organisation established and maintained by Gabonese Indigenous Peoples and local communities to ensure the sustainable and equitable governance and management of ancestral lands and biocultural diversity in the Ivindo rainforest
(based in Makokou, est. 2019)
PROGRAM
(L’Association Protectrice des Grands Singes de la Moukalabahe)
An NGO working for the conservation of Great Apes and enhancement of biodiversity in the Moukalaba Doudou National Park in south-western Gabon
(based in Tchibanga, est. 2004)