TRCC + FasterCapital: Scaling Blue Carbon and Livelihoods in Nigeria’s Niger Delta
Lagos, Nigeria & Dubai, UAE
11 November 2025
Tropical Research and Conservation Centre (TRCC) and FasterCapital announced a strategic partnership today under FasterCapital’s EquityPilot program to accelerate restoration of 10 million mangrove trees across the Niger Delta (Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Delta, Bayelsa, Cross River, Ondo). The collaboration combines TRCC’s field expertise with FasterCapital’s funding, technical acceleration and global investor network to scale conservation, blue carbon and community livelihoods.
Market opportunity & problem
The Niger Delta contains Africa’s largest wetland and the world’s third-largest mangrove forest, yet faces rapid degradation from deforestation, unsustainable harvesting and oil-related pollution. This loss undermines fisheries, coastal protection and blue carbon sequestration—critical in a region with ongoing gas flaring. The global blue carbon market and rising ESG investment appetite create a timely financing window. TRCC’s program targets ecological restoration and community resilience, addressing the market gap for verifiable, community-led mangrove carbon projects in West Africa.
Startup solution & differentiation
TRCC (founded 2001) couples on-the-ground reforestation with community capacity building, sustainable livelihoods (bee, snail, mushroom and grasscutter farming), and conservation education. The project’s competitive edge is integrated delivery: local nurseries and participatory planting, robust monitoring and replacement protocols, and alignment with national biodiversity and Ramsar frameworks. Early pilots demonstrate improved juvenile fish and crab counts and site-level survival tracking. TRCC’s local partnerships—including state forestry departments and international conservation networks—create defensible implementation capacity and reduce project risk relative to externally driven restoration schemes.
FasterCapital partnership value
Selected for the EquityPilot accelerator, TRCC will receive FasterCapital’s blended support—programmatic mentorship, technical validation for carbon methodologies, go-to-market strategy, and introductions to impact investors and carbon buyers. FasterCapital’s selective criteria emphasize scalable impact, measurable KPIs and leadership strength; EquityPilot will help professionalize monitoring, verifiable reporting and fundraising to expedite carbon revenue and grant access. The partnership targets operational scale-up across six Niger Delta states within 24 months and preparation for carbon-crediting pathways and international donor engagement.
Executive quotes
“TRCC addresses a crucial intersection of biodiversity, climate and livelihoods. Our EquityPilot selection reflects TRCC’s strong local credibility and scalable model,” said Hesham Zreik, investment partner at FasterCapital. “With structured technical and market support, TRCC can convert restoration into measurable blue carbon assets and community prosperity.” “Restoring 10 million mangroves is both an ecological imperative and an opportunity for sustainable livelihoods,” said Mr. Ikponke Nkanta, Executive Director of TRCC. “FasterCapital’s acceleration will help standardize our monitoring, unlock carbon finance, and scale community-led conservation across the Niger Delta.”
Growth trajectory & future plans
Near-term milestones include scaling nurseries, mapping 100,000+ planting hectares, rigorous survival-rate monitoring and piloting a verifiable blue carbon methodology. TRCC aims to generate initial carbon-credit-ready sites within 18–24 months, seek seed and impact investment rounds, and replicate the model across additional coastal states in West Africa. Funding needs for the next 24 months are targeted at site operations, monitoring technology and community enterprise incubation.
About Tropical Research and Conservation Centre (TRCC)
TRCC, founded in 2001 and based in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria, is an NGO focused on natural resource management, indigenous knowledge preservation, sustainable agriculture and community livelihoods. TRCC’s mission is to restore and sustainably manage coastal ecosystems while building local capacity and alternative livelihoods.
www.tropicalcentre.org,www.tropicalconservationcentre.org;
Email:info@tropicalconservationcentre.org
About FasterCapital
FasterCapital is a global venture builder and online incubator dedicated to co-funding and co-founding innovative startups. Established in 2014, we are now #1 venture builder in terms of number of startups that we have helped, money invested and money raised. It supports startups worldwide through various programs, including funding assistance, business development, and technical support. The EquityPilot program is designed to help early-stage startups build scalable solutions with mentorship, strategic guidance, and network support.
Media Contact:
Rasha Almasri
rasha.almasri@fastercapital.com
+1 (512) 400-0256