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- Published:
- 18 March 2020
Elizabeth Ojo is the Director of Operations at the School of Wildlife Conservation at the African Leadership University.
She has a background in conservation and is dedicated to saving Africa’s wildlife and wild spaces through innovative education and empowerment solutions.
Elizabeth has always had a passion for conservation and has a masters’s degree in Environmental Management from Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. Her work with the School of Wildlife Conservation is inspiring and is changing the face of conservation in Africa.
African Leadership University, which was founded by Fred Swaniker, established The School of Wildlife Conservation in 2016 with the objectives of enhancing emerging conservation leaders, developing the next generation of leaders and influencing policymakers to create change for the better.
Fred Swaniker’s passion for Africa has driven him to establish a range of different institutions across Africa that are dedicated to developing and supporting good leadership throughout the continent. Together these organisations, including African Leadership University, The School of Wildlife Conservation, African Leadership Academy, African Leadership Network and Africa Advisory Group, aim to transform Africa by creating, developing and connecting 3 million leaders by 2060.
Through her work with the African Leadership University, Elizabeth is helping to create a new generation of African leaders across different sectors, who are passionate about conservation and sustainable development.
The School of Wildlife Conservation believes that in order to expand upon the conservation work being done throughout Africa, African communities need to be included and feel that they have a connection to the natural world, which will help them feel incentivized to protect it.
In the past, African voices have largely been excluded from the conservation sector, especially those of women. The School of Wildlife Conservation is working to change this narrative and draw in the next generation of African leaders by connecting students to nature and equipping them with the skills they need to become strong conservation leaders.
Another key pillar of the School of Wildlife Conservation’s approach is to ensure that conservation efforts in Africa are sustainable and that they benefit people too and not just nature. By integrating business management skills into their conservation curriculum, they are highlighting nature and conservation as key components of economic growth and creating leaders who see the benefit in conservation for people as well.
Both Elizabeth and the School of Wildlife Conservation are incredibly passionate about the role of women in conservation and work tirelessly to ensure that young women and girls have the opportunity to access the skills and knowledge that they need to become future leaders. For too long conservation has been a male-dominated field and the School of Wildlife Conservation is working to change this. Through their scholarship programme, they give young women and girls in Africa the opportunity to become future leaders.
Education is such a powerful conservation tool, which allows us to empower the next generation to become ambassadors for their communities, wildlife, and the environment. Elizabeth is a trailblazer in the African conservation field and the work she is doing through ALU’s School of Wildlife Conservation is groundbreaking. Her vision, determination and passion is inspiring young people, shaping them into conservation leaders who will work together to ensure a brighter future for Africa’s people and wildlife.
Watch our film to learn more about Elizabeth and her approach to creating future African leaders in conservation.
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