About WACN

Who We Are

West African Conservation Network (WACN) is a not-for-profit conservation organisation headquartered in Nigeria, working in formal partnership with government authorities to restore, secure, and sustainably manage critical wildlife landscapes.

WACN focuses on the long-term protection and recovery of degraded protected areas through a combination of ranger support, ecological restoration, community engagement, and the development of sustainable financing models that enable conservation areas to become resilient and self-sustaining over time.

The organisation operates primarily in Nigeria, where its programmes are implemented in collaboration with national and state institutions, local communities, and strategic partners. WACN also maintains international coordination and administrative support through partners and structures in the United Kingdom.

West African Conservation Network was founded by Patrick Ogbonnia Egwu, whose early exposure to wildlife and long-standing commitment to conservation helped shape the organisation’s mission and values. Under his leadership, WACN was established to address the growing gap between conservation ambition and on-the-ground capacity in West Africa.

Today, WACN works collaboratively with public institutions, communities, and partners to transform threatened wilderness areas into well-governed, secure, and ecologically functional conservation landscapes that deliver lasting benefits for nature and people.

Mission Statement

WACN’s mission is to secure, protect, and restore threatened wilderness areas — including ecosystems that remain ecologically intact but lack the protection, resources, and governance required to guarantee their long-term survival.

Working through formal partnerships with government authorities, WACN stabilises landscapes through security and management interventions, restores degraded ecosystems, and reintroduces species lost to human pressure — ensuring that biodiversity, ecological function, and community benefits are sustained for future generations.

Our Operating Model

WACN operates in landscapes where conservation outcomes are constrained not by ecological potential, but by gaps in security, governance, and long-term financing. Our operating model is designed specifically for these contexts.

We work through formal agreements with government authorities, combining ranger support, protected area security, ecological restoration, and community engagement within a single, integrated management framework. This approach allows WACN to stabilise threatened landscapes, rebuild institutional capacity, and create the conditions required for long-term conservation success.

By embedding financial sustainability and local participation into project design from the outset, WACN supports conservation areas to transition from chronic vulnerability to durable, self-sustaining management over time.

Our People

Patrick Ogbonnia Egwu

FOUNDER

Patrick Ogbonnia Egwu is the Founder of West African Conservation Network (WACN) and the originator of its long-term vision to restore, secure, and sustainably manage priority conservation landscapes in Nigeria and across West Africa.

With a background in tourism management and entrepreneurship, Patrick brings a practical, governance-focused approach to conservation, emphasising institutional partnerships, operational discipline, and long-term financial sustainability. He founded WACN to address a recurring challenge across the region: significant protected areas existing with limited capacity, weak infrastructure, and insufficient long-term investment.

Patrick holds an honours degree in Tourism Management from the University of West London. Under his leadership, WACN works in formal collaboration with government institutions, local communities, and strategic partners to support ranger professionalism, ecological restoration, and the development of resilient conservation systems.