African Parks and the Government of Chad Reaffirm Partnership Through Reinstated Management Agreements

N’Djamena / Johannesburg, 17 October 2025 – African Parks is pleased to announce the signing of a joint statement between the Government of Chad, through the Ministry of Environment, Fisheries and Sustainable Development, and African Parks Network, marking a renewed commitment to the management of Chad’s protected areas.

The statement was signed on 17 October 2025 in N’Djamena by his Excellency, Minister Hassan Bakhit Djamous and African Parks CEO, Peter Fearnhead.

Key outcomes include:

• The reinstatement in full force and effect of African Parks’ management agreements in Chad;
• A commitment by both Parties to negotiate new partnership agreements for the collaborative management of Zakouma National Park and its wider ecosystem, the Ennedi Natural and Cultural Reserve, and pursue the implementation of future projects including Aouk;
• An undertaking by African Parks to continue financing and co-managing these protected areas and to pursue the implementation of future projects until new agreements are signed; and
• A mutual pledge to advance negotiations in a spirit of goodwill and cooperation toward renewed and strengthened partnerships.
   

This milestone comes at the close of a challenging period that required significant dialogue to reach mutual understanding and commitment on the way forward. The outcome reflects not only renewed trust between African Parks and the Chadian Government but also a clear recognition of the importance of this partnership for the communities that live in and around these areas, the biodiversity they protect, and their strategic importance for the national development plan of Chad, referred to as Chad Connection 2030. 

Peter Fearnhead, CEO of African Parks, stated:

“We deeply value this renewed commitment, built on trust and collaboration. The reinstatement of our agreements provides a stable foundation to continue safeguarding some of Chad’s most extraordinary natural and cultural landscapes, together with the communities who depend on them.”

African Parks extends its sincere appreciation to the Government of Chad, to the community members and civil society in and around these protected areas, and to the dedicated teams on both sides who worked tirelessly to achieve this outcome.

Ends

About the Republic of Chad:  About the Republic of Chad: The Republic of Chad is African Parks' partner for the management of the Greater Zakouma Ecosystem and the Ennedi Natural and Cultural Reserve. In 2010, African Parks formed a Public Private Partnership with the Ministry of the Environment, Fisheries and Sustainable Development (MEPDD), to manage Zakouma National Park. In 2017, this management mandate was extended to the Greater Zakouma Functional Ecosystem (GZFE), also incorporating the Bahr Salamat and Siniaka Minia wildlife reserves. The latter was designated a national park in 2024. In 2017, African Parks was entrusted by the Chadian government with the management of the Ennedi Natural and Cultural Reserve (RNCE) located in the northeast of the country and covering 50,141 km² of Sahelo-Saharan ecosystems. Since 2020, the Aouk Keita Landscape (over 30,000 km²) has been jointly managed with the MEPDD to create an innovative model for the management of wildlife and natural resources.

About African Parks: African Parks is a non-profit conservation organisation that takes on responsibility for the long-term management of protected areas in partnership with governments and local communities. African Parks manages 24 protected areas in 13 countries covering over 20 million hectares in Angola, Benin, Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique, the Republic of Congo, South Sudan, Rwanda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. For more information  visit www.africanparks.org, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook

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