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Who’s who in IGCP Board members Helen Gichohi, President, African
Wildlife Foundation Local Partners The programme is structured to provide permanent technical support to the protected area authorities of Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). These are, respectively, the Office Rwandais du Tourisme et des Parcs Nationaux (ORTPN), the Ugandan Wildlife Authority (UWA) and the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN). Chief Wardens: Team spirit IGCP has focused on developing a team of African conservation professionals with a range of complementary strengths and expertise. Although each team member has specialist skills, the demands of the programme dictates that staff must be flexible, versatile and supportive. This strong sense of collective responsibility and loyalty to the cause means that the team is greater than the sum of its parts. According to the former Director of IGCP Drs Annette Lanjouw, “A shared sense of humour has no doubt helped everyone to cope with the many challenges of operating in a war zone”. Rogues' gallery - Personal profiles Eugène Rutagarama - IGCP Director Exiled at the height of the conflict in Rwanda (see Range states), he returned home to rebuild the national park system and protect crucial mountain gorilla habitat. Eugène's invaluable contribution to grass-roots conservation earned him two prestigious prizes, the Jean Paul Getty Prize and the 2001 Goldman Environmental Prize, conservation's equivalent of the Nobel Prize. In June 2007, he was featured as a CNN hero “Defending the Planet”. Arthur Mugisha – Programme Manager Dr Arthur Mugisha was a Technical Specialist in Natural Resources Management, Fauna & Flora International (FFI), East African Region before he became the IGCP programme Manager. Before he joined FFI, Arthur had been with the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) where he moved through the organization from a park warden position to that of Executive Director. Over the three year period Arthur led UWA, he turned it into an organization where management is based on principles, where there is transparency and accountability in all the organization’s systems, and where decisions are made and actions taken in a timely manner after careful analysis of available information and the perspectives and views of all stakeholders. Peter M. Ngigi – Finance and Administration Manager Peter Mbugua Ngigi holds a Bachelor of commerce (Accounting & Business Administration) and professional certificates in accounting. Peter joined IGCP from another NGO working in South Sudan. From the time he joined IGCP, the finance department has made tremendous improvements with new financial systems in place. He is the guru of the financial SUN SYSTEM.
Anecto Kayitare - Regional Transboundary Officer, Rwanda Long experience in rural development has enabled Anecto to contribute greatly to strengthening links with local communities. He has a particular interest in transboundary issues (see Regional collaboration). A visionary, energetic ideas man, he is an eternal optimist with a burning desire for real change (Interview). Innocent Garakumbe – Regional Enterprise Officer Innocent is the lead person for enterprise development within IGCP. He is responsible for initiating and developing nature-based enterprises. His interests include reading about different conservation issues. Augustin Basabose – Conservation Science Officer Augustin has played a lead role in the conservation of great apes in Central Africa for more than 15 years. He is the currently leading the Ranger-based Monitoring Program, and also acting as the Country Representative in DRC. Augustin is providing extensive primatological field research knowledge to strengthen IGCP’s mountain gorilla conservation impact in Virunga Massif and Bwindi Impenetrable forest. Maryke Gray – Information Management Officer, IGCP Maryke works regionally on monitoring and evaluation, tracking the conservation impact of all activities to ensure that IGCP is focusing on and achieving its targets. An independent Aussie, she is a born field operative with first class mapping and GIS skills. Stephen Asuma - Programme Officer, Uganda With many years of experience as a park manager, Stephen brings on-the-ground operational strength to IGCP. A strong, authoritative character, he is adept at persuading people to agree on a chosen course of action. Médiatrice Bana – Programme Officer, Rwanda Médiatrice is a qualified biologist who has quickly mastered the complexities of the programme's Global Information System (GIS). Her enthusiasm, strength and effectiveness in the field have already earned huge respect from her predominantly male colleagues in Rwanda and the region. Mark Mwine - Enterprise Officer, DRC A specialist in economics and enterprise, Mark has developed a close rapport with the local communities, with whom he works to explore new business opportunities (see Improving livelihoods). After having successfully initiated conservation enterprises in Rwanda, Mark Mwine has now moved to the challenging post war zone of DRC. Mark is a very good team player and is viewed as a seasoned campaigner. Altor Musema – Programme Officer, DRC Though coming from an academic background, Altor has embraced the conservation field work with enthusiasm. Working in a challenging environment doesn’t stop him from energetically moving the programme's conservation agenda James Byamukama – Programme Officer, Uganda After a long career in governmental forestry department where he won the best forest award. James tactful attitude has enhanced his relationships with park staff and their effectiveness. He is Mr GIS of the programme. Rachel Oketch - Finance & Admin Officer The rock in a sea of chaos, Rachel (pictured here on the left) runs the IGCP office with quiet but devastating efficiency, and still finds time to learn more about the programme's field activities. She has also helped to design a range of IGCP merchandise, including calendars and t-shirts. Joseph Ngango - Administrative and Finance Officer, Rwanda Joseph and IGCP have both benefited enormously since he joined the team. Dealing with administration, finance and logistics for the programme has taught Joseph a great deal about wildlife conservation. He has reciprocated by sharing his computer knowledge with colleagues, helping IGCP and its partners to operate more efficiently. Elizabeth Waruguru – Finance and Operations Officer, Nairobi Alister N. Mungai – Programme Assistant, Nairobi Pierre Ruhumuliza – Finance and Admin Assistant, Rwanda Rosie Kabeya– Finance and Admin Assistant, DRC – Finance and Administration Officer, DRC Rosy has worked for IGCP, DRC for almost 7 years. Wilbur Kaiire – Finance and Admin Assistant, Uganda Due to his dedication and hard work, Wilbur was elevated from driver to Finance and admin assistant.
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