Nigeria fails to tap into over N10bn National Park potential

…as policy inconsistency discourages private sector participation.

…lack of vibrant wildlife park undermining tourism industry.

Despite an estimated total conservation area of 22,206.24 square kilometers, which hosts 1,340 species of wildlife, Nigeria’s eight national parks have failed to maximise their tourism potential valued at over N10 billion annually in revenue from tourists receipts and research.
Tourism experts say that each of the country’s eight parks (besides the standalone Yankari Games Reserve, now under the management of Bauchi State), can make over N1 billion revenue annually from tourist receipts, if world class infrastructure, replenished wildlife populations, species and security are in place, as well as proper marketing to woo visitors.
Experts say that the situation is made worse by the fact that the parks, which cover about three percent of Nigeria’s total land area, have lost almost 40 percent of their wildlife populations to lack of funding and care for the wildlife, as well as the failure to introduce new breeds, and especially uncontrolled poaching activities by locals.
Yet, like most government entities, the Nigerian Parks Services, a parastatal under the Federal Ministry of Environment, which administers the national parks, has not been able to attract private sector participation, or even concessionaires, due to policy inconsistency on the part of government, and some public-private projects that are winding-up or facing legal battles because of government’s failure to abide by PPP agreements.
Comparing the number of visitations, quality research and, especially revenue generated by others national parks across leading destinations in Africa, it could seem the 22,206.24 square kilometers the eight parks occupy in Nigeria is a waste.
Pointing Nigeria to some successful National Parks across the continent, Martins Olugha, a Calabar, Cross River State-based conservationist and destination manager, noted that wildlife is still the main source of tourism satisfaction and revenue in Kenya because of how serious all stakeholders, especially government regard tourism in that country.
“During its lifetime, an adult male lion in Amboseli Game Reserve, Kenya will earn $515,000 in foreign exchange. One lion is worth $7,000 per year in income from tourism and an elephant herd can be valued at $610,000 annually in Kenya. A Safari is such a popular product, that it has enabled the country to continue recording remarkable growth in the volume of tourists, as such, tourism is the second highest contributor to Kenya’s GDP after agriculture”, Olugha explained.
As well, besides the 16 national parks in Tanzania, the Kilimanjaro National Park alone, makes $193.93 million per calendar year, with $50 as the least entry fee, while each tourist further spend an average of $500 a day in the park.
In the 2015 Annual Report of the South African National Parks (SANParks), Fundisile Mketeni
CEO, SANParks, explained that growth in revenue from the park’s tourism business exceeded R1 billion (N24 billion) for the first time, despite the on-going international economic recession.
“The total number of guests visiting our national parks grew by 6.6 percent from 5.2 million in 2014 to 5.6 million in 2015, as a result, the total revenue from SANParks’ tourism business grew by 10.5 percent to reach the R1.07 billion (N26.5 billion) mark. About 5, 346 people are in the direct employ of SANParks with a further 1,932 people employed by concessionaires in the parks as at March 2015”, Mketeni said.

Haruna Tanko Abubakar, former Conservator-General, National Park Service and even Abdullahi Tunde Hussain, his successor, all share the view that poor funding had been the bane of Nigeria’s national parks.
For them, appropriate funding would get better infrastructure in place, boost wildlife populations, pay for staff training and raise morale. Most importantly, it would woo visitors in their thousands to the eight parks across the country, as tourist soon tire of visiting the same locations and are constantly seeking for variety.
But Olakunle Fadhunsi, a Nigerian tour broker in East Africa, countered the views of the Nigerian Parks Services as mere excuses.
“I worked with a South African park owner for two years. Over 80 percent of South African National Parks operational budget is self-generated, and it reduces the extent to which SANParks is dependent on the government in meeting conservation objectives. That model can work in Nigeria, all Nigerian Parks Services need do, is to learn, train, improve, adapt, open doors for private sector collaborations and change policies that are unfriendly for investments in the park”, Fadahunsi said.
He noted that a thriving tourism business also underpins the ability of the eight parks across Nigeria, including the standalone Yankari Games Reserve, to make meaningful contributions to both the national economy, and within the local economies in which national parks are found, but that would only be possible when government allows more private investors in the park business.
Citing the case with Yankari Games Reserve, Hassan Yahaya, a tourism teacher and hotel owner, advised the Federal Government to unbundle some of the parks to make them attractive to private investors. Since taking over Yankari, the Bauchi State government has done nothing to upgrade the park because it lacks the capacity and know-how. All the government at all levels needs is to involve competent private sector operators to market, manage and pay the agreed tax.

“Since 1979 when Olusegun Obasanjo established Kainji Lake, the first national park, and 1991 when five new ones were set up, you cannot point to the contributions of these parks in terms of revenue and even research to the GDP of the country. They cannot continue to lie fallow. It is time to privatise, concession or look for competent managers to manage and make them economically viable, like the parks in Kenya and South Africa, which we all visit”, Yahaya said.

 

OBINNA EMELIKE