Socfin’s plantations under threat in Cameroon and Liberia
Socfin is not well-known to the general public but has been operating in Africa for over a century.2 It is one of the leading oil palm and rubber tree plantation operators on the continent. Heading up Socfin’s shareholdings are two figures of African business: Vincent Bolloré, France’s ninth-richest person,3 and the Belgian businessman Hubert Fabri. Socfin has announced plans to extend its plantations in a dozen countries, mostly African nations, threatening forests that are essential for the preservation of climate balances, biodiversity and the living conditions of local populations.