08 Sep 2022

Lake Ngami Conservation Trust has a potential investor from the United Kingdom who has shown interest in trophy hunting.

To facilitate the partnership, the trust has requested a hunting quota from the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP) and is awaiting a response.

The trust chairperson, Mr Sekano Bodio, said in an interview that they were only left with signing a memorandum of agreement once the relevant authorities gave them the blessing.

He noted that the investor had already met with the leadership from all villages affiliated to trust to share what he would bring to the table and that they were pleased to learn that they could benefit from trophy hunting.

He said the investor had promised to buy an elephant for between P150 000 and P200 000. 

“The investor is willing to invest time, skill and resources into the trust, and we are hopeful that he can take our trust to greater heights if given a chance,” he said.

Mr Bodio also said the investor wanted a long-term relationship with them and was keen to venture into tourism development projects which could generate income.  He cited the development of the trust’s ranches around the lake so that communities gain from tourism.

The partnership, he said, could turn the fortunes of the trust around as they owned big concessions with abundant wildlife species such as the big five and birds. “The partnership has the potential to boost our financial position and contribute to improved livelihoods. We are optimistic that the investor can help us achieve our aspirations of operating income generating projects,” he said.

Mr Bodio also said the investor had promised them to develop community projects such as paving internal roads, installing streetlights, drilling boreholes and training and empowering the youth so that they could work in camp sites.

He added that the investor has also offered to resuscitate their charcoal project and assist in marketing the product. 

He said the trust was financially bankrupt and failing to achieve its goal of benefiting affiliated communities and villages.

He noted that the trust initially focused on fishing and charcoal project as sources of income, but that they did not succeed as expected. ENDS