Although Mozambique has an enormous potential for plantation forestry, few companies have invested in commercial forestry plantations in the country. To promote private sector investments in planted large and small scale forests, the Government of Mozambique, financed by the World Bank, called for support in assessing the sector’s role for economic development and poverty reduction. The objective of the project was to comprehensively analyze the business climate for investments in plantation forests, with a particular focus on addressing smallholder support needs. UNIQUE was contracted to conduct the business climate assessment and to develop policy guidance for strengthening the sector. Key outcomes served as input for a national strategy on how to attract private sector investors and support community-company partnerships.

• Analysis of policies, business environment, capacity and reform needs.
• Design road map for improved business climate of plantation forestry.
• Prepare and facilitate workshops to consult with stakeholders and inform the client.
• Completion of community surveys to evaluate perception of planted forest development.
• Analysis of current gaps in community-company partnerships.
• Identification of main lessons learned and organize knowledge-sharing seminar.