The Opportunity

Inspired by our research for the 2024-2025 Africa Tech Summits in Nairobi and London covering Africa’s role in the global net zero transition, The Sixth D is leading a reforestation project on 8.5 acres (or over 5 full-size football pitches) of its Founder’s ancestral land in Khwisero, Kakamega County, Kenya. Situated near Kakamega Forest—the country’s last tropical rainforest, the only remaining fragment of the Guinea-Congolian rainforest in the country—this initiative aims to restore biodiversity and soil health while supporting sustainable development.

My Role

To date this project has seen The Sixth D:

  • Engage experts at Better Globe Forestry and the Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI) to envision, plan and resource the work required;

  • Play an instrumental role in budgeting and mobilising finances for implementation;

  • Visit Kenya in 2024 and 2025 to establish a local team and drive efforts in:

    • Soil preparation, terracing and planting

    • Biodiversity conservation;

    • Addressing key challenges such as drought, pests, and theft.

  • Promoting eco-conscious livelihoods in this rural community;

  • Extracting valuable real-world insights on sustainable development.

Results

Our accomplishments so far include:

  • 3,000+ Trees Planted – Diverse species like Grevillea, Acacia, Eucalyptus, and Mahogany to enhance ecosystem resilience;

  • Community Engagement – Youth involvement in planting, maintenance, and agroforestry practices to improve biodiversity and local incomes;

  • Sustainable Harvesting – A cyclical approach to tree cultivation that maintains forest cover while supporting commercial use;

  • Climate Resilience – Aligning with Kenya’s and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, helping offset the Founder’s family’s carbon footprint.

This initiative is especially critical in western Kenya, where deforestation due to firewood reliance (e.g. for cooking and heating) has been a major challenge.

As the photos below show, over the past two years, the once cash-crop-focused land has been transformed into a thriving reforested landscape, a remarkable change witnessed firsthand by our Founder in February 2025.