In August 2025, over 160 botanists, ecologists and conservation professionals gathered in Accra, Ghana, for the 23rd Congress of the Association for the Taxonomic Study of the Flora of Tropical Africa (AETFAT). This is an international forum dedicated to the study, conservation and sustainable use of Africa’s flora. This year’s theme, “Diversity, conservation and sustainable use of African and Madagascan plants in a changing natural world“, reflected the urgency and promise of botanical research across the continent.

Representing Namibia, Ms Paulina Fedinant of the National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI) presented our national project, which brings together NBRI, the National Museum of Namibia (NMN) and NNF, supported by the JRS Foundation for Biodiversity, to investigate plant and animal biodiversity in the south-eastern Namibia Gariep Centre of Endemism.  The presentation met with strong interest among global delegates, highlighting Namibia’s unique biodiversity and our ongoing efforts to link research with conservation and sustainable development.

Key sessions at the Congress addressed the critical challenges confronting herbaria and botanical infrastructure in Africa: urgent funding needs, digitisation and improved access to data.  Similarly, discussions explored new collaborations, especially with the renowned Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (UK), to upgrade NBRI’s BRAHMS database system, and potential partnerships with leading Chinese institutions tied to the Flora of Kenya Project.  A vibrant innovation stream also showed how local species may give rise to herb-based products that combine conservation with socio-economic benefit.

For NNF, the event reinforced our conviction that conserving Namibia’s endemic flora is not just a national priority, it is part of a continental effort to document, protect and sustainably use Africa’s botanical heritage.  As AETFAT looks ahead to Côte d’Ivoire in 2028, we stand ready to lead, collaborate and contribute to the global botanical community.