Reflecting on the February Biobased Construction East Africa Coalition Workshops

There is no shortage of ambition in East Africa’s biobased construction sector.

Across the value chain — from forest growers to product innovators — small businesses are already solving problems. What they rarely have is space to solve them together.

A group photo of the Biobased Construction East Africa Coalition members, Built by Nature team and Climate Smart Forest Economy Program (CSFEP) team during the Nairobi workshop.

In February, CSFEP brought members of the Biobased Construction East Africa Coalition and other supporters together in Kampala and Nairobi to create exactly that space.

It was a set of whirlwind, energising weeks. We’re coming away with three key reflections:

First, the energy and momentum in both workshops was unmistakable.

Breakout group discussions facilitated by Barbora Starovicova from the Bern University of Applied Sciences and Robyn van den Heuvel, Program Director, Climate Smart Forest Economy Program.

From the moment we started each day, attendees dove in. (So much so that we constantly had to cut conversations short because everyone had so much to say!)

At the end of our workshops, we reflected on how great the need is right now for spaces where everyone can grapple together with what needs to happen in East Africa’s biobased construction ecosystem.  Increasingly, those in the sector know the problems they need to solve. And they are excited to think through practical, implementable solutions together.  

We see that the real value of the Coalition is that it creates space for these organisations to work collectively on the bigger challenges they cannot solve alone. However, more spaces like this are needed for different combinations of actors (for example, within the academic space, policy, manufacturing, or finance).

Second, both workshops surfaced the tension between supply and demand.

Kennedy Matheka, Deputy Director-Buildings Safety and Climate Resilience, Ministry of Public Works, giving the opening remarks during the Nairobi workshop.

Workshop conversations often began with the need to stimulate demand for biobased building solutions. Quickly, someone would ask: “But what happens if we stimulate demand and the supply isn’t ready?” Right after, someone would respond: “What if we build the supply and the market isn’t ready?”

For now, consensus was that we need to pair supply- and demand-side solutions carefully, in the hopes that we don’t overcorrect in either direction. 

But people also recognised that it will be impossible to always get the balance exactly right. At some point, the ecosystem is inevitably going to tilt too far in one direction or the other. There may be excess supply, which will lead to more exports. Or excess demand, leading to increased imports. 

Our role is to keep questioning, learning, and adjusting, to try to bring the system back into balance.

And finally: the biggest challenges the sector is facing are  deeply systemic - ones no single organisation can solve. 

Zani Gichuki from Arthi na Mbao sharing a summary of their group discussion.

Looking across the types of critical solutions people raised in these workshops, it was clear that we have no easy task ahead of us. The solutions the sector needs right now are complex, ambitious, and deeply challenging to implement. They often require institutions that do not yet exist, or a type of collaborative action that goes against existing institutional incentives. 

What stood out over the last few weeks was partners’ willingness to lean into this complexity – rather than trying to aim lower. People kept asking: “What will really change the system? That’s what’s worth investing in.”

Overall, across these convenings, we saw how useful it was to create dedicated space for people to come together. Having structured discussions helped move the conversation forward. Meanwhile, unstructured space for open networking allowed new relationships and partnerships to form. 

In a space that is still very fragmented, one of the most important roles CSFEP can play is simply bringing together the people who need to be in conversation.

In a space that is still very fragmented, one of the most important roles CSFEP can play is simply bringing together the people who need to be in conversation.

Enormous thanks to all the Coalition members for showing up so fully. The value of these workshops came entirely from the energy and ideas you brought.

Thanks also to the Berner Fachhochschule (BFH) team for co-hosting with us in Uganda — we look forward to strengthening this collaboration. And finally, thank you to our funding partner Built by Nature for joining us in Nairobi. Special kudos to Julien Vincelot, Tamara Streefland, Wendy Gaitara, and Marylyn Musyimi for jumping in to co-facilitate breakout discussions. We’re so grateful for your partnership.