Malawian and Ethiopian Candidates Selected for Conservation Leadership Programme

A Malawian and an Ethiopian have been selected to take part in the inaugural African Parks Conservation Leadership Programme, which is designed to develop future conservation leaders in Africa. The two candidates were amongst 50 applicants from the six countries in Africa where African Parks currently operates.

The two successful candidates who have commenced the programme are Dines Kabota, former assistant parks and wildlife officer at Liwonde National Park in Malawi, and Habteyesus Mathewos, former project officer in the Horn of Africa Regional Environmental Centre and Network (HoA-REC&N) in Ethiopia.

The 18-month long African Parks programme will provide the two participants with all-round exposure to the hard and soft skills required for park management. The course will cover conservation, infrastructure management, law enforcement, community and stakeholder constituency building, tourism revenue generation, leadership, business planning, human resources and financial management.

Mentorship and coaching are important components and are being provided by senior management at African Parks’ head office in Johannesburg and by management teams at park level. Formal training will also be provided by The University of Cape Town Graduate Business School or the South African Wildlife College.

On successful completion of the programme, the two participants will be eligible for senior park management roles with African Parks, depending on the availability of positions. The programme is being funded by Adessium Foundation at a cost of US$50 000 per candidate, inclusive of living allowances and stipends.

"We’re extremely pleased with the calibre of our two candidates,” said African Parks CEO, Peter Fearnhead. "Our conservation model focuses on the long-term management of protected areas in partnership with governments and communities, and the development of skilled park management teams is integral to that model. We thank Adessium Foundation for their financial support and their conservation vision, and hope that the programme’s success will lead to the training of many more potential conservation leaders in Africa.”