Kainji Lake National Park is one of the largest parks in Nigeria. The merger of Zugurma game reserves and Borgue, created the park in 1979, covering an area of 5340km².

Kainji Lake National Park is located in the northwest central part of the country between latitude 9°40’N and 10°30’N and longitude 3°30’E and 5°50’E in Niger and Kwara states, 500km from Lagos and 385 km north east of Abuja.

It is one of the jewels of Nigeria containing a number of flora and fauna resources of Nigeria and nearly added with the famous Kainji Lake Oil Hydroelectric Complex.

The Park houses a lot of wildlife like: elephants, lions, buffaloes, antelope, hunting dogs, hippos, patas, monkey, lion, python, Nile crocodile, leopard, hyena, buffalo, kob, cobra, green snake, bush buck, tilapia, mountain reedbuck, red flanked duiker, oribi, grimms duiker, warthog, mongoose, stone partridge, snake head, hadada ibis, Bee eaters, electric cat fish clawless otters, hartebeest, turtles, manatees, roan goanna, baboons, antelopes, kobs, ape, Ducker, crocodile and so many others.

There are varieties of bird species, approximately 180 species of birds have been recorded. These include Secretary Bird, Ground Hornbill, jugglers, oriole warbler, great white pelicans and other rare pale arctic migrants.

The Climate exhibits wet and dry seasons from April to November and November to April respectively. The mean annual rain fall is 1100mm to 1200mm for approximately 200 days.

At Kainji Lake National Park, you can enjoy conservation-education-lectures, easy housing and restaurant, boating on the Lake plus tour of the Hydro power station, tour of cultural places, fishing, camping facilities and indoor games.

There are two rivers in the park namely, Oli Menei, Doro and Manyara Rivers.

Location: Kainji Lake National Park is located in the northwest central part of the country between latitude 9°40’N and 10°30’N and longitude 3°30’E and 5°50’E in Niger and Kwara states, 500km from Lagos and 385 km north east of Abuja.

TODAY

NCF Engage Stakeholders On Protecting Kainji Lake National Park

The decline of species within protected areas have prompted the need to pursue species conservation and protection with the consideration of both the protected areas and the surrounding communities.

This informed the decision of the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) to partner with the National Park Service on a series of engagement to enhance the protection of Kainji Lake National Park (KLNP) and the population of lions and leopards within the park.

To facilitate this, a workshop held recently, titled “Stakeholders Engagement to Identify and Design Solutions for Restricted Ranching to Reduce Livestock Grazing in Kainji Lake National Park” in New Bussa, Niger State.

This engagement session is a series of activities under the “Emergency Rescue of Nigeria’s Last Populations of West African Wildcats – Lion Panthera leo and Leopard Panthera pardus” project supported by the IUCN Save our Species and funded by the European Union.

The stakeholders’ workshop was organised to identify the challenges and solutions to sustainable livelihoods practices in communities around the park.

Germany has joined the international High Ambition Coalition to End Plastic Pollution by 2040 that was launched on Monday, August 22, 2022.

Agreement had already been reached in Nairobi in March on starting negotiations on an internationally binding instrument to end plastic pollution.

A group of like-minded countries has now launched a High Ambition Coalition to drive forward implementation of Resolution 5/14 “End Plastic Pollution: Towards an International Legally Binding Instrument”.

As announced at UNEA5.2, Norway and Rwanda will jointly chair the coalition.

Plastic pollution has reached unprecedented levels worldwide. Without concerted, global measures and an internationally binding framework in the coming decades, these levels are projected to rise significantly.

The plastic volumes found in rivers and lakes are expected to more than triple between 2019 and 2060 (from 109 to 348 million tonnes).

The volumes in oceans in the same period could increase fivefold (from 30 to 145 million).

Therefore, the international business community is calling for targets, standards and norms for the entire life cycle of plastics in order to establish the same conditions and requirements for the development of new circular economy business models and to make circular economy a reality in practice.

At maximum capacity, the Kogi Rice Milling Plant located on 800 hectares in Ejiba, Yagba West Local Council, Kogi State is expected to create 6,000 direct and indirect jobs.

The rice mill, now completed, is part of the projects embarked upon by the Yahaya Bello administration and is billed to be commissioned by President Muhammadu Buhari as part of the activities marking the 28th anniversary of the creation of Kogi State on August 27, 2019.

The Guardian gathered that the plant could easily run over 3000 tons of rice per month and over 36,000 tons per year. This is equivalent to the production of over 720,000 50kg rice bags per year.

Currently, the Industry has 800 hectares nucleus rice farm that feeds the processing plant. While the 800 hectares produce around 3200 tons of paddy rice yearly, the processing plant will consume the 3,200 tons in just a month meaning that expanded rice cultivation is encouraged to meet the feedstock.

The industry will purchase paddy from local farmers across the state and also increase the capacity of its nucleus farm to meet up with the rice milling plant production capacity per year.

The Kogi rice milling process will not only produce finished international standard quality rice but also by-products such as rice bran, brown rice, rice husk and broken rice, among others. It also operates on independent power generation plant in excess of 300kwh.

Kogi State Commissioner for Agriculture, Kehinde Oloruntoba who spoke to The Guardian on the potentials of the industry said: “As at today, the farm is currently generating 300 direct jobs, which comprises of farm staff, hunters and equipment operators. The industry can also generate over 5000 indirect jobs through its Out-Growers empowerment program. Last year, it empowered 150 local farmers through the office of Kogi State Governor.

He said: “As a catalyst for direct, indirect and general employment, once the rice mill commences operation, the industry will be employing other hundreds of staff, as its plans to run the plant at the maximum capacity on two-session day and night shift per day. Each shift will produce over 50 tons of finished Confluence Rice.

“The Kogi Rice Milling industry, through its processing operation, gives more nutritive food and conserves rice by way of recoveries. It also increases the shelf life of rice.

A water recycling plant could be built in Hampshire in a bid to ease pressure on rivers during a drought.

The new facility, proposed for a site south of Havant, would turn treated wastewater into purified, recycled water.

New underground pipelines could also be built as part of the plans put forward by Southern Water.

The company has said it is developing new sources of water so less is taken from the River Test and River Itchen.

It comes after the firm became the first water company in the UK to announce a hosepipe ban, following the driest July since 1935.

According to the new plans, the water recycled at the plant near Havant would be transferred via a new underground pipeline to the Havant Thicket Reservoir, where it would mix with water from underground springs.

Another new pipeline would then transfer water from the reservoir to the Otterbourne Water Supply Works, where it would be treated further to become drinking water.

The proposals are yet to be approved and further public consultations are planned for next year.

The plans are separate from the approved plans for Havant Thicket Reservoir, Southern Water said.

Councillor Alex Rennie, leader of Havant Borough Council, called for the proposals for the reservoir to be reconsidered after it was revealed it would use recycled water.

As it prepares to expand to serve a population now exceeding 20 million, the Cairo metro has recruited Egypt’s first female train drivers, a novelty in a country where few women have formal jobs.

Since April, commuters on the network’s newest line have seen women take the controls in the driver’s cab, with reactions ranging from raised eyebrows to outright disapproval, according to the two pioneers.

Egyptian women have had the right to vote and stand for office since 1956, but patriarchal legislation and a male-dominated culture have severely limited personal rights.

The Cairo metro itself provides reserved carriages for women who do not wish to ride with men in an attempt to provide protection against sexual harassment.

Launched in 1987, the Cairo metro is the oldest in the Arab world but it has fallen behind other Arab countries in providing employment opportunities for women.

Moroccan Saida Abad became the first female train driver in Africa and the Arab world in 1999.