The Federal Ministry of Environment has received the donation of uniform materials, firearms and ammunition and anti-poaching patrol equipment, worth N74, 540m by Africa Nature Investors (ANI) to enhance effective protection and management of Gashaka Gumti National Park.
The donated materials include Rifle, spare magazine, ammunition, rifle cleaning kit, Bayonets, camping, First Aid, Binoculars, SMART cyber tracker device, Satellite radios among other things.
The donation is in furtherance to the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding earlier signed in 2017 by the National Park Service with ANI for the provision of support to scale up conservation activities in Gashaka Gumti National Park with a view to build up the fauna and flora resources to boost ecotourism.
Receiving the donations on Tuesday in Abuja, the Minister of Environment, Dr. Mohammed Mohmood Abubakar said, the partnership is in tandem with the present Government’s determination to develop the economy through tourism by turning Nigeria into a major destination for tourism and investment in Africa.
The minister said the role of Public-Private Partnership in conservation activities cannot be over-emphasized particularly with the deficit in infrastructural facilities, technical and financial support in the area of conservation, research and tourism activities in our conservation enclaves.
This, no doubt informed the decision for this collaboration between an Agency under my Ministry (National Park Service) and Africa Nature Investors, (ANI), he added.
He said previously, ANI has intervened in areas of renovation of a guest house in Gashaka village, fixing of the seasonal bridge on Mayokam, maintenance of Bodel – Gashaka access road, clearance of helicopter landing site at Gashaka village and provision of anti-poaching patrol vehicles among others.
In his remark, the Conservator General National Park Service, Dr Ibrahim Musa Goni said with the implementation of the partnership agreement and the experience so far, the service has no regret in entering into such collaboration.
“The two parties have kept to terms as provided for in the signed document. I use this opportunity to call on other conservation-related organizations world over to join hands with us to effectively protect, manage and conserve the flora and fauna that nature has endowed us with, in this part of the world,” he said.
While thanking the Board of Directors of ANI for the interventions, he expressed his desire and aspiration for more of these interventions not only to fast track tourism but to ensure sustainable use of resources and also create jobs.
