Good morning, distinguished guests, representatives of government, development partners, the private sector, restoration practitioners, and all participants.

It is my pleasure to welcome you to this Land Restoration Business Planning Workshop.

We meet at a pivotal moment for Kenya’s restoration agenda. Land degradation continues to threaten agricultural productivity, water resources, biodiversity, livelihoods, and climate resilience. At the same time, it presents a significant opportunity to drive sustainable development through restoration and sustainable land management.

Kenya has demonstrated strong leadership in advancing Sustainable Land Management and pursuing Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN). The country recognizes that healthy and productive landscapes are essential for economic growth, food security, climate resilience, and the well-being of current and future generations.

Achieving LDN is not only an environmental objective—it is also a development and investment agenda. It requires us to restore degraded lands while creating incentives and business opportunities that make restoration economically viable and socially beneficial.

This is why today’s workshop is so important.

As we scale up restoration efforts, we must move beyond viewing restoration solely as a conservation activity and position it as an investment opportunity that generates multiple benefits: increased productivity, enhanced ecosystem services, climate resilience, green jobs, stronger rural enterprises, and improved livelihoods.

The restoration economy offers promising opportunities in sustainable agriculture, agroforestry, seed systems, landscape enterprises, carbon markets, and nature-positive value chains. These opportunities can attract both public and private investment while delivering measurable environmental and economic returns.

This workshop provides a platform to identify viable business models, strengthen investment readiness, develop bankable restoration projects, and build partnerships capable of unlocking financing at scale. Our goal is not only to restore landscapes but also to catalyze enterprises and investments that support Kenya’s green growth and sustainable development aspirations.

I encourage all participants to engage actively, share experiences, and explore innovative solutions. The diversity of expertise represented here offers a unique opportunity to develop practical and scalable approaches that can accelerate restoration outcomes across the country or region.

The journey toward Land Degradation Neutrality requires collaboration, innovation, investment, and a shared commitment to sustainable land stewardship. Together, we can demonstrate that restoration is not only an environmental responsibility but also a strategic investment in Kenya’s economic prosperity, climate resilience, and sustainable future.

I wish you productive discussions and successful outcomes as we work together to transform restoration ambition into action and investment.

With these remarks, I officially declare this workshop open.

Thank you.

Henry Mustafa Parkolwa

Chief Executive Officer

Community Climate Change Action for Resilience (3ca4r), Kenya

Email: henry.parkolwa@3ca4r.org

Mobile: +245 720 402 422