SCALING TREE-PLANTING FESTIVALS ACROSS NIGERIA

Problem Worth Solving

Deforestation in Nigeria, mostly driven by logging, urbanization, and agriculture, has led to the loss of 96% of Nigeria’s primary forest. This has resulted in biodiversity loss and severe coastal erosion in coastal communities and across the Niger Delta region.

Climate change costs Africa $15 billion per year, which exceeds the GDPs of 26 African countries. By 2050, it could reach $50 billion. Climate change impacts disadvantaged communities and threatens traditional livelihoods. With low access to climate finance, millions of smallholder farmers and land stewards are unable to adapt. Addressing this issue is critical for environmental sustainability and community well-being, and we are passionate about helping to solve it.

Our solution

OSISI is combating this problem through climate change awareness and a community-based tree planting festival in climate-impacted communities. OSISI is inspired by the Mbom-Uzo festival, an ancient, community-driven environmental conservation method celebrated by some Igbo communities in southeast Nigeria. Project OSISI inspires both global donors and local land stewards to support tree-planting festivals and to capture real-world ecological data/impact reports leveraging Web3 tools such as Silvi protocol, Hypercerts by Gainforest, and Karma Gap

Early Success: Badagry Tree Planting Festival

Our pilot tree-planting festival engaged over 4000 students across 8 community schools, resulting in the planting of over 100 native economic tree seedlings.

https://tinyurl.com/OSISI-Impact-Report

https://x.com/ReFiLagos01/status/1948511113857171843

Why Badagry, Why Now?

Badagry is a biodiversity hotspot and a tourism destination in Lagos. It's nicknamed the coconut capital of Nigeria, with breathtaking coconut beaches and some of the most vulnerable island communities faced with coastal erosion. Like other coastal communities in Lagos, Badagry also faces severe deforestation, the spread of invasive seaweed (water hyacinth), and sand dredging, which have disrupted the local fishing economy.

Opportunities

Badagry is a border town and a transit hub for tree seedlings from other West African (ECOWAS) countries. With the global coconut products market expected to reach $38.58 billion by 2030, fueled by popularity in the food and cosmetics industries, the Lagos State Government is encouraging the establishment of more seed farms to boost production for local coconut consumption and export.

Indigenous Badagry people are skilled in tree nursing, planting of coconut seedlings, and processing of coconut products such as premium coconut oil and tasty coconut chips. Badagry is also home to Agbalata market, the largest coconut market in Nigeria.

OSISI Pilot Tree Farm is located in Badagry, where we source, nurse, and distribute tree seedlings for tree-planting festivals. Check out our Hypercert certificate: https://app.hypercerts.org/hypercerts/42220-0x16bA53B74c234C870c61EFC04cD418B8f2865959-51722919771982646446432940329628768141312

Our Goal: Tree-Planting Festival 2.0

Our goal is to empower 100 land stewards (young climate leaders) to replicate the success of the Badagry Tree-Planting Festival across Nigeria. By collaborating (cross-pollinating) with members of Afrilearn, ReFi DAO local nodes, Greenpill Nigeria, and other local climate NGOs, we aim to plant 10,000 trees across Nigeria by the end of 2026.

Our Timeline

Months 1-2: Nature steward selection, Web3 and Impact tools training

Months 3-4: Stakeholder engagement, site mapping, planting and post-planting care

Months 5-6: Data gathering and retroactive reward

Uses of Fund

Support the sourcing and distribution of native tree seedlings to nature stewards.

Support land stewards in leading tree-planting festivals in schools and deforested communities across Nigeria.

Our Team

Project OSISI is led by Simon, Adaeze, and Dennis. The team brings unique skills and passion to combat deforestation in Nigeria.

Simon Ezeji

Simon is a nature steward from the Niger Delta region, passionate about nature-based solutions (NbS) and exploring the intersection of agriculture, indigenous knowledge, and Web3/ReFi use cases in Africa. Simon has over 10 years of experience in agribusiness and solar energy distribution, working in China and Nigeria.

Fresh out of college, Simon had lived and worked in Badagry from 2012-2013 during his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Program. He spent one year teaching computer science in a local skill acquisition center in Olorunda Local Council Development Area (OLCDA), exploring local island / coastal communities, and building relationships with community stakeholders that he maintained for more than a decade.

Simon holds a master’s degree in International Management from Nottingham University Business School, a certificate in Innovation and Entrepreneurship from Tsinghua University IEDE China, and a certificate in Web3 Regenerative Finance (ReFi leaders) from Frankfurt School Blockchain Center, Germany. Simon is a ReFi DAO contributor, a Celo citizen, the founder of ReFi Lagos, an ECOTA fellow, and an alumnus of the Climatebase Fellowship cohort 7.

https://blog.refidao.com/author/simon/

Adaeze Okafor

Adaeze is a soil scientist passionate about sustainability and innovative climate solutions. She leads Project Afrilearn, where she trains and onboards a new generation of climate-smart ambassadors who are passionate about sustainability across Africa. Her work blends research, education, and hands-on climate action. Adaeze is a ReFi DAO contributor, co-founder of ReFi Lagos, and an alumna of Tsinghua University IEDE Program, SheFi Cohort 10, and ReFi Leaders (formerly ReFi Talents).

Dennis Okenwa

Born in Badagry, Dennis is a passionate climate researcher and storyteller working at the intersection of environmental sustainability, public history, and community engagement. He currently leads communications and strategy at Recyklable, where he helps drive conversations around the circular economy and sustainable living in Nigeria. As a Climate Facilitator at GreenHub Africa Foundation, Dennis has championed climate literacy through creative, hands-on activities that bring environmental education to life. He has also contributed to climate policy advocacy and public outreach during his time with LAWMA’s Advocacy and Research Unit.

Dennis coordinated the Badagry Tree Planting Festival—a pilot initiative that combined tree planting with climate education. With a B.A. in History and International Studies from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Dennis brings a unique perspective that bridges research, grassroots action, and strategic communication to inspire lasting environmental change.

How We Met

Simon and Dennis met in Badagry and shared the same climate vision and love for Mother Nature. Simon and Adaeze met at Tsinghua University's IEDE program; both were super passionate about climate and Web3 technologies and later joined ReFi DAO as content contributors. They later co-founded ReFi Lagos (a ReFi DAO local node), and since then have co-published climate articles and organized tree-planting events in parks, schools, and beach communities in Lagos. Check out our ReFi roundup

https://blog.refidao.com/refi-roundup-50/

WWW.OSISI.EARTH

https://gap.karmahq.xyz/project/project-osisi/updates