By Gabriel Yough

The Africa Nature Investors (ANI) Foundation on Friday inaugurated a Women Development Centre at Tonga Bodel, in Gashaka Local Government Area (LGA) of Taraba to boost rural women’s livelihood.

The inauguration is part of efforts to promote women’s economic empowerment, improve community livelihoods and strengthen conservation partnerships.

The centre, established through the partnership between the National Park Service (NPS) and  ANI Foundation, supported by the European Union (EU), is expected to serve women in Serti, Bodel, Goje and Mayo Selbe communities.

Executive Director of ANI Foundation, Mr Tunde Morakinyo said the foundation has continued to attract support, including funding from the EU to drive development initiatives in and around the national park.

He explained that the Women’s Development Centre was designed to provide a platform for women to come together, acquire relevant skills and improve their economic opportunities.

Morakinyon highlighted some of the foundation’s interventions, including support for farmers through beekeeping initiatives and the vaccination of thousands of cattle.

He also disclosed plans by the foundation to construct three blocks of classrooms in each of the communities across Gashaka LGA as part of efforts to improve access to education.

According to him, the inauguration of the centre is expected to strengthen women’s participation in economic activities while deepening cooperation between host communities, conservation authorities and development partners in protecting the Gashaka Gumti National Park.

George Karngong, the Conservator of Parks at the National Park, described the project as another milestone in the partnership between the NPS and ANI Foundation.

He said the facility would provide a common platform for women to participate in skills acquisition, cooperative activities, vocational training, agricultural processing and entrepreneurship.

According to him, the centre will also serve as a hub for the several women’s savings groups established by ANI Foundation in the communities surrounding the park.

He noted that the centre would enable them to mobilise savings, exchange ideas, access training and establish small-scale businesses to improve household incomes and economic independence.

Karngong, who commended ANI Foundation for its sustained partnership with the NPS, listed the foundation’s interventions to include alternative livelihood programmes, scholarships, building of blocks of classrooms and teachers’ quarters, community savings groups among others.

He noted that the initiative aligned  with President Bola  Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly its emphasis on empowering women and youths through skills acquisition and sustainable livelihood opportunities.

He also said it was in line with  Gov. Agbu Kefas’ development agenda, especially in the areas of infrastructure, job creation and economic empowerment.

“Conservation cannot succeed through enforcement alone, it requires the active participation and support of surrounding communities,” he said.

The conservator also appealed to Gov. Kefas to extend more support to the park, particularly through the provision of operational logistics such as patrol vehicles, motorcycles, communication equipment and other essential facilities.

He described the Gashaka Gumti National Park as a strategic national asset with significant contributions to climate change mitigation, watershed protection and  tourism.

Leader of the European Union Delegation, Iusan Liviu, expressed satisfaction with the initiative, describing it as a positive step towards community development and institutional strengthening.

Liviu, who called for collective commitment from stakeholders to build a sustainable partnership capable of delivering additional development opportunities and promoting shared responsibility.

He assured the people  that the EU would continue to support ANI Foundation’s interventions towards improving the welfare of communities and strengthening the management of the park.

On his own, Taraba  Commissioner for Heritage and Ecotourism, Titus Nagombe, commended ANI Foundation for its positive contributions to communities surrounding the park, describing the establishment of the women development centre as a significant intervention.

The Special Guest of Honour and Taraba State Commissioner for Women and Child Development, Mrs Mary Sinjen, urged beneficiaries to develop a strong maintenance culture to ensure the centre serves present and future generations.

She gave assurances  that the  ministry was ready to strengthen collaboration with ANI Foundation to promote women’s development and improve their economic wellbeing.

In his remarks, the Chairman of Gashaka Local Government Council, Mr Umar  Gari, described ANI Foundation as a dependable partner in progress and urged residents to continue supporting the foundation and the National Park Service.

The chairman expressed optimism that sustained community support would enable the park to achieve greater development, while calling on the foundation to intensify efforts to address the increasing influx of people into the park.

Lamdo Gashaka, Alhaji Zubairu Hammangabdo, who spoke on behalf of traditional rulers from Bodel and Mayo Selbe, acknowledged the foundation’s various empowerment projects in the area.

He called on residents to sustain their support for ANI Foundation and the management of Gashaka-Gumti National Park, describing the partnership as beneficial to the development of local communities.

“ANI is here for progress, It  has  impacted positively on our people. Let us support conservation and the development of Gumti National Park,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the  women development centre in Gashaka represents the second of such facilities built by the ANI Foundation.

The first was inaugurated in Toungo Local Government, Adamawa, in 2025 and serves women in several communities in the northern sector of the park which falls into Adamawa.(NAN)

Edited by Yakubu Uba