AUN alumnus selected for unique wildlife internship

Nachamada Geoffrey, an alumnus of the American University of Nigeria and AUN’s Northeast Regional Representative, has been selected by the Conservation Leadership Programme to begin a 12-month internship in August.
CLP is a US-backed wildlife conservation initiative jointly sponsored by the Birdlife International, Fauna & Flora International, and the Wildlife Conservation Society.
Geoffrey will work as an Assistant Project Manager at Yankari Games Reserve in Bauchi State, promoting conservation in Nigeria.
He will be responsible for fundraising and training future conservation biologists while conducting research with professionals in his field.
With a Bachelor’s degree in natural and environmental science from AUN (2009) and a Master’s in conservation biology from Oxford Brookes University (2012), Geoffrey’s field experience dates back to 2009 when he attended the African section of the Society for Conservation Biology with participants from Benin, Tanzania, Ghana, and Kenya.
Geoffrey recently participated in the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Tanzania workshop where, for one week, he was trained on SMART 1.0, new software designed to manage and monitor conservation efforts around protected conservation areas like the Yankari Games Reserve.
He was one of the first biologists to receive this training in Nigeria.
Geoffrey’s ultimate goal is to earn a doctorate in Conservation or Environmental Science and Public Policy. “I want to be involved in teaching, research, and pursuing policies that lead to sustainable growth and development of Nigeria and Africa.”
“We are very proud of Geoffrey,” said AUN President Margee Ensign. “He personifies the leadership qualities and commitment to his country that we strongly encourage and support. I know he has a tremendous future in this critically important field.”
Founded in 2003, AUN is Africa’s first development university, inspired by the vision of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar that knowledge must be applied to benefit all people.
AUN is training young Africans to assume the leadership of their societies through a dynamic development process that is based on the enduring values of Africa’s vibrant cultures and rich past.