n
estled in the foothills of mt. Kilimanjaro, in mweka,
tanzania, lies the college of African Wildlife management.
mweka college, as it's more commonly known, was founded in
1963, in part with a Us$41,000 grant from AWF. it was a time
when, as independence movements swept the continent and
Africans assumed control of all aspects of government, few had
the education or training to effectively manage their country's
wildlife and natural resources.
Fifty years later, mweka has trained more than 5,000 wildlife
managers from 72 countries and is considered a pioneer in
the field of African wildlife and tourism management training.
"the type of wildlife management being practiced on the
continent has largely been influenced by the training offered
here," explains Acting rector Dr. Freddy manongi, himself a
mweka graduate.
"mweka graduates are found in virtually all protected wildlife
areas in sub-saharan Africa," Dr. manongi adds. Graduates
occupy senior positions in wildlife institutions in more than
14 countries across the continent, from tanzania to the
Democratic republic of congo, malawi to mozambique, sierra
Leone to swaziland, and more.
Multiplying impact
today, Dr. manongi acknowledges that conservation needs are
changing in Africa and the original curriculum--created with
input from chief game wardens, national park directors, and
representatives of wildlife ministries from tanzania, Kenya,
Uganda, and Zambia--requires adjustment to best address
those changes. even so, the college continues to lead the way
in training wildlife managers across Africa.
As AWF continues to support students through scholarships
and protected area authorities through in-situ training projects,
mweka stands as a 50-year symbol of AWF's commitment to
capacity building in Africa.
50 Years of Capacity Training
p
Mweka Wildlife College provided
Africans the training they needed to
effectively manage wildlife resources.
People
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