**Project Overview**
**[BADAGRY TREE PLANTING FESTIVAL](https://x.com/ReFiLagos01/status/1948511113857171843)**, held in May 2025 in Badagry Town, Lagos State, Nigeria, represents a significant milestone in community-led environmental restoration and climate education. Organized by **[Project OSISI](https://osisi.earth/)** in collaboration with the Lagos State Government, the festival engaged 4,000 students across 8 community schools, resulting in the planting of over 100 native economic tree seedlings—mostly coconut, mango, and avocado. Leveraging innovative blockchain technologies and supported by a network of climate-focused organizations, the festival combined practical reforestation with educational outreach, integrating indigenous wisdom and modern technology.

**[Project OSISI](https://osisi.earth/)** is an indigenous tree-planting platform that allows impact donors to efficiently support tree-planting festivals with real-time data and impact reports. It empowers nature stewards (event organizers) with tools to plant trees and capture ecological data.

**Project Objectives**
1) Plant and maintain native tree species to benefit local ecosystems
2) Educate 4,000+ students about climate change in Nigeria
3) Integrate indigenous knowledge into current climate education
4) Promote the use of Web3/ReFi tools for impact tracking and transparency
5) Create a scalable model for community-led reforestation

**Planning, Site Selection, and Approval**
Following preliminary research, we chose eight (8) public secondary schools in the Badagry axis of Lagos State to serve as implementation sites for this festival. We formally wrote to the Tutor-General/Permanent Secretary of Lagos State Education District V, via the Director of Co-Curricular Science and Technology, requesting permission to plant tree seedlings at the selected schools. Approval was given, allowing the team to proceed with the project.
**The selected schools were:**
1) Government Junior and Senior College, Ajara Vetho | 33 trees planted
2) Ajara Comprehensive Junior and Senior High School, Ajara Topa | 18 trees planted
3) State Junior and Senior High School, Ibereko | 16 trees planted
4) Iworo Ajido Junior and Senior Model College, Iworo Ajido | 23 trees planted
*Additional 10 tree seedlings were planted at the OSISI pilot tree garden
**Tree seedlings planted were mostly coconut, mango, and avocado**

**Stakeholder Engagement**
Community engagement was the heart of the Badagry tree-planting festival. We actively involved students, local leaders, and partner organizations to create a truly collaborative environment. Crucially, we focused on early engagement with traditional leaders and grassroots organizations. Courtesy visits were conducted to inform them and gain their vital involvement.
The presence and unwavering support of esteemed community leaders such as **Chief Balogun Senapon (The Ajiloba of Ajara Vetho Kingdom), Chief Folorunsho Sonayon (Baale of Ajara Dokoh Kingdom), Chief Elijah (Baale of Topa Kingdom), and Chief Oke M. A. of Iworo Ajido** added enormous cultural and communal value, fostering trust and widespread participation among both students and staff.

**Key Activities**
**Tree Planting:** Over 100 native trees were planted, supported by the Silvi Protocol, a blockchain-based platform that tracks tree growth and facilitates retroactive funding.
**Educational Workshops:** Climate educators and traditional leaders conducted sessions to instill climate awareness and indigenous ecological wisdom.

**Innovation and Collaboration**
Our success in Badagry was built on a foundation of innovative technology and robust partnerships:
*[Climatebase Fellowship Cohort 7](https://climatebase.org/)*
Project OSISI was proud to be an ecosystem capstone project within this fellowship, benefiting from invaluable climate insights from Climatebase experts and fellow participants.
*[Silvi Protocol](http://silvi.earth/)*
Project OSISI is leveraging Silvi, a cutting-edge Web3-powered digital Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (dMRV) tool. This groundbreaking technology meticulously tracked every tree planted, providing transparent proof of impact for these vital ecological assets and paving the way for retroactive reward.
*[Regen Coordination](https://gov.gitcoin.co/t/ai-impactqf-regen-coordination-global-gg23-retrospective/20385/)*
OSISI is part of Regen Coordination, a platform enabling regenerative impact funding leveraging the common approach impact measurement and [Karma Gap](https://gap.karmahq.xyz/project/project-osisi)

*[Hypercert by Gainforest](https://gov.gitcoin.co/t/gg23-hypercerts-for-nature-stewards-full-round-report/20975/)*
OSISI is part of the Hypercert for Nature Steward Grant (GG23), leveraging Gainforest verified ecological certificates (ecocerts), bringing transparency to ecological data.

Project OSISI collaborates with **[ReFi Lagos](https://x.com/ReFiLagos01/status/1948511113857171843)** and **[Afrilearn](https://x.com/Afrilearn1/status/1942635980894482666)** to train and empower young climate ambassadors to lead tree planting events and other climate initiatives in Nigeria.

**Why Does It Matter—Why Now?**
Deforestation in Nigeria has led to [loss of 96% of the country's primary forest](https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/09/deforestation-nigeria-has-lost-96-of-its-forest-ncf/). This has exacerbated climate change impacts, including biodiversity loss, heat waves, and [severe coastal erosion](https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2022/6/1/in-oil-rich-niger-delta-coastal-erosion-is-outliving-residents) in the country.
Lagos, a historically coastal city in Nigeria, is unfortunately at the forefront of the [impacts of coastal erosion and climate change](https://punchng.com/climate-change-erodes-84-of-lagos-coastline-report/). Its unique geography – low-lying land, extensive coastline along the Atlantic Ocean, and proximity to lagoons and waterways — makes it exceptionally vulnerable.
The just-concluded [Nigeria Forest Summit](https://punchng.com/shettima-warns-against-forest-loss-urges-2bn-revival/) highlights the urgent need to plant more trees and prevent further forest loss.
**[Climate change costs Africa $15 billion per year,](https://www.afdb.org/en/cop28/focus-africa)** which exceeds the GDPs of 26 African countries. By 2050, it could reach $50 billion. Addressing issues like deforestation and climate change is vital for environmental sustainability and community well-being, and we are passionate about contributing to the solution.

**Challenges**
1) Lack of climate change awareness, particularly in rural and underserved communities, with low climate advocacy. [As of 2020, more than six Nigerians out of 10 never heard about climate change](https://www.statista.com/statistics/1269701/knowledge-of-climate-change-topic-in-nigeria-by-area/)
2) Environmental conservation can be difficult, especially in rural communities that rely on firewood and charcoal to cook their everyday meals
3) Navigating the complexities of climate science and Web3 use cases could be challenging for nature stewards, highlighting the need for [Web3/regenerative finance (ReFi) education](https://medium.com/@tradefin101/the-state-of-refi-a-comprehensive-look-at-web3-regenerative-finance-9cb73b84a330)

**Paving the Way Forward**
The Badagry Tree Planting Festival exemplifies the power of community-led initiatives in addressing climate change. By engaging 4,000 students, planting over 100 trees, and leveraging innovative partnerships and technology, the event has laid a foundation for sustainable environmental stewardship.
Its success underscores the importance of integrating indigenous knowledge, modern education, and regenerative finance in building resilient ecosystems. With strategic support and scalability, this model could inspire similar efforts across Nigeria and beyond, contributing to global climate goals.