Hailemariam: Africa must decolonise conservation

Former Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn at the APAC in Kigali.

In the quiet VIP room at the Kigali Convention Centre, Rwanda, former Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn strikes an amiable pose. He has many reasons to be optimistic.

The IUCN African Protected Area Congress, of which he is the patron, is underway. Over 2,000 delegates from 52 African countries are attending. At last, Africans can chart the way forward in funding the 8,500 protected and conserved areas on the continent. "It has been a long journey, but we are finally here," he says. "The journey started in 2019, it was disrupted by Covid-19 and a postponement last March. But it is happening."