Rainforest Builder secures Series A and project financing to advance ecosystem restoration in West Africa

LONDON 12 March 2026 - Rainforest Builder, a fully integrated tropical forest restoration company operating in West Africa, today announced the successful closing of a Series A financing round for a landmark combined project and equity investment. The round was led by BNP Paribas Asset Management Alts (BNPP AM Alts), with participation from existing investors.

The investment will enable the company to significantly scale its science-led and community-focused ecosystem restoration, and further develop Chameleon, its proprietary data platform. Chameleon analyses project operational and ecological data, enabling dynamic decision-making while offering comprehensive visibility into projects’ performance and environmental impact.

In conjunction with its investment in Rainforest Builder, BNPP AM Alts is committing to finance the implementation of Project Colobus, Rainforest Builder’s 24,000-hectare restoration project in the Oti Region in Eastern Ghana. The project will restore the Asuokoko and Chai River Forest Reserves situated along the Akwapim-Togo Hills ranges and is ultimately expected to expand to restore at least 70,000 hectares in the Oti and Volta regions.

This represents one of the largest private investments in an individual forest restoration project announced globally to date. Project Colobus is expected to generate more than seven million high-quality carbon removal credits under Verra’s VM0047 methodology and CCB standard over its lifetime.

Ed Stephenson, Co-CEO, Rainforest Builder, shared: “We are thrilled to welcome BNPP AM Alts as an investor in Rainforest Builder and Project Colobus. Bringing institutional capital at this scale to ecosystem restoration in West Africa is a pivotal development for our company and the whole sector, demonstrating the value of tropical forests as natural infrastructure. Rainforest Builder’s four projects in Ghana, Sierra Leone, and Guinea have established both operational and commercial traction, and with this investment, we are well positioned for continued growth in existing and new markets.”

Ghana has established itself as a leader in the development of global carbon markets and forestry in Africa. The Ghana Carbon Market Office has established a comprehensive regulatory framework, while Ghana’s Forestry Commission has a strong track record of working hand-in-hand with the private sector to protect and restore Ghana’s forests.

Like many countries in West Africa, Ghana has experienced significant pressure on its forests in recent years, with 1.8 million hectares of tree cover lost since 2000.₁ Rainforest Builder is working to reverse this trajectory. Project Colobus is the company’s second large-scale ecosystem restoration project in Ghana, following its Project Akwaaba operating since 2023 in the Western North Region, which employed c.1,000 people in 2025.  

Max Nelki Gopfert, Co-CEO, Rainforest Builder said: “Project Colobus has been made possible thanks to our track record of operating reforestation projects in Ghana that benefit local communities, government and other key stakeholders while sequestering significant quantities of carbon. This is not just a reforestation project – it will also create a significant number of long-term employment opportunities for local communities and funds for local community development as well as a comprehensive programme to improve agricultural yields.”

Project Colobus restores extensive tracts of degraded land within the Upper Guinean Forest ecozone, a globally important biodiversity hotspot.  The company plants native species produced in its own nurseries and manages seed collection and storage, creating a “seed-to-forest” supply chain. To support the local community and prevent future deforestation, Rainforest Builder works with local farmers to improve agricultural productivity through training and providing inputs. A portion of the project area will be managed for sustainable timber production, providing long-term livelihoods for the community. Sustained job creation is a core focus of the project.

Hugh Brown, Chief Executive of Ghana’s Forestry Commission, said: “Rainforest Builder’s dedication to executing high-quality, large-scale reforestation projects has been evident over the three years that we have been working together. This investment is an important milestone in our partnership with Rainforest Builder and our joint ambition to restore 100,000 hectares of degraded forest reserve land by 2040, supporting Ghana’s national landscape restoration strategy. The Forestry Commission remains ready to welcome further projects such as Project Colobus, to accelerate the restoration of degraded areas of Ghana’s Forest Reserves and the development of a thriving forest carbon industry.”

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About Rainforest Builder

Founded in 2022, Rainforest Builder is a fully integrated tropical forest restoration company with operations in Sierra Leone, Ghana and Guinea, employing more than 2,500 people. Taking a science-led, community-focused approach, the company restores forest ecosystems while providing ecosystem and economic benefits to communities. The projects deliver high-quality carbon removals and biodiversity outcomes for corporate customers globally. Rainforest Builder’s four active projects aim to restore at least 370,000 hectares as part of the company’s long-term goal of restoring one million hectares by 2040. Learn more at rainforestbuilder.com. The future is restorable.

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Media Contact

press@rainforestbuilder.com  

+44 7341 348784