Photo: Lisa Westholm
Professor Gowin Kowero from The African Forest Forum has been appointed to be Honorary Doctor at SLU
Summary of the text for the nomination:
Godwin Kowero has had considerable influence to develop African Forest Science. In resource poor African academic environments Kowero has showed strong ability for institutional building, research, synthesis and, not least, as a messenger for important information for policy formation. In later years, as Executive Secretary for African Forest Forum (a network organization for African forest scientists), Kowero has managed to convey important knowledge in Forest Science up to regional and global policy levels. In this way he has had great importance for giving voice to a growing indigenous African Forest Science community – in a continent where the discussion has been dominated by international researchers, NGO’s and aid donors.
Godwin Kowero’s research has been located first at several East-African universities and later at the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR, first in West-Africa, then in the headquarters in Indonesia and finally as head of the regional office for Southern and Eastern Africa). The research deals with economy, policy and the sustainable use of forests and other natural resources. This deals with both rainforests and industrial plantations as well as with the vast Miombo woodlands in SE Africa. Aside of his expertise in forest economics, Kowero carry an impressively broad knowledge that elsewhere is becoming scarcer in an increasingly specialized international academy.
