Government, community, NGO and private sector collaboration delivering an integrated climate action and community development solution results in prestigious award win for Malawi. iRise Malawi was awarded the Best Forestry Initiative in Africa 2023 at the 'Africa Investment Earthshot Leaders Summit and NDC Investment Awards Ceremony’ on December 5th 2023 at COP28 in Dubai, UAE. The NDC Investment Awards recognize and reward both public and private sector institutions who are working to innovate and break new ground to mobilize investment and private sector participation at scale in Africa’s NDC Paris aligned climate investment commitments and projects. The Honorable Michael Usi, Minister of Natural Resources and Climate Change for the Republic of Malawi said, “Malawi is a proud host of the innovative iRise program. We support wholeheartedly efforts by our partners to drive socioeconomic development and mitigate climate change while attracting significant foreign direct investment into the country.” Her Excellency Dr Joyce Banda, Chair of the Community Development Initiative (CDI) the community engagement partner of iRise, said, “This award would not have been possible without the support and engagement of the local communities in Malawi and their leadership. Holistic community development is essential to the success of large-scale reforestation programs in emerging markets.” Alex Pettefer, CEO of iRise Malawi said, “We are humbled by this award. We would like to thank Africa Investor and the African Green Infrastructure Investment Bank for recognizing the efforts of our teams, our partners, and the communities we support to deliver iRise’s novel nature-based climate solution.” Jason Rosamond, chief architect of the iRise Climate and Community Transformation Program, said “We would like to thank the award adjudicators for this tremendous honor as we seek to deliver significant climate and community impact while generating strong risk-adjusted returns for investors. We hope our program accelerates wider climate and community investments in emerging markets from mainstream financial institutions.” ​ About iRise Malawi iRise is a mission-driven organization with a focus on mitigating climate change while alleviating poverty. iRise delivers its integrated climate action and socioeconomic development program in rural, underdeveloped communities with significant land degradation. iRise combines sustainable agroforestry with community infrastructure to deliver high-quality carbon offset volumes and lasting, genuine economic and social development. The iRise program is scalable, prosperous, and equitable – driving a just net zero transition without compromising community or society, nature or returns. About Community Development Initiative CDI is a registered NGO in the Republic of Malawi focused on delivering nationwide community upliftment. The core mission of CDI is to eradicate poverty by building empowered, independent, secure, safe, self-reliant, and resilient rural communities across Malawi. CDI is people-centered, future-oriented, and environmentally conscious. ​ Contacts: info@iriseglobal.net