By Joseph Erunke, ABUJA

West Africa Conservation Network (WACN), a Nigeria/United Kingdom based organisation, focused on environmental and wildlife conservation, has begun collaboration with the Nigeria National Park Service to restore the Kainji Lake National Park.

The Park is a 2000+ square mile (5000+ square kilometres) wilderness area straddling Niger and Kwara states, and supports populations of lions, buffaloes, hippos, leopards, and somewhat of an elephant presence among other species.

On the 27th of October, 2023, the international organisation signed a 31 year co-management arrangement with the Federal Government of Nigeria via the Nigeria National Park Service, to secure and restore the park in northwestern Nigeria during the tenure of the Memorandum of Understanding.

With the WACN Kainji Lake National Park Project, the organisation aims to liberate the park within the next decade from its current security challenges, by building capacity through partnerships with entities and individuals that will add meaningful value to the project.

The WACN founder, Patrick Egwu, in a statement, explained that “the international organisation’s general conservation model is to secure, protect, and restore wilderness areas for the benefit of rural communities and the country at large.”

Egwu, further explained that WACN – an organization established in 2020, with headquarters in both Nigeria.

and the United Kingdom aims to safeguard and restore depleted wilderness areas by ensuring sustainable developmental benefits both for rural communities and wildlife populations.

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According to him, “On October 27th, 2023, WACN entered into a landmark 31-year co-management agreement with the Nigerian National Park Service (NNPS) to jointly protect and restore the Kainji Lake National Park (KLNP).”

“This vast 2,000+ square mile wilderness area plays a critical role in the region, harboring the last remaining West African lions in Nigeria and serving as a vital habitat for hippopotamuses, kobs, leopards, Abyssinian ground hornbills, and migrating African

elephants.

” Currently, KLNP faces significant security challenges related to banditry and kidnappings. These obstacles hinder vital wildlife conservation efforts and tourism activities.

“WACN, in collaboration with the Nigerian government and local/international security firms, aims to address these issues and restore security within the next one to two years,”he added.

Vanguard Newspaper