Sharon Ikeazor, the immediate past minister of state for Niger Delta Affairs, is joining the leadership council of the Elephant Protection Initiative (EPI) Foundation.
The EPI is an African-led response to the elephant crisis in the continent.
It was launched in 2014 by the leaders of 5 countries; Gabon, Chad, Tanzania, Botswana and Ethiopia. Since then, the initiative has grown and now has 22 member countries.
The EPI aims to secure the harmonious coexistence of people and elephants with herds able to travel across their range.
Ikeazor, 61, was appointed the Minister of State for Environment in August 2019 before her last assignment.
She is reputed to have made valuable contributions to the environment ministry while she served there.
“She has enjoyed a distinguished career, and her vast expertise and inspiring vision will be invaluable to the EPI Foundation,” the EPI Foundation’s CEO, John Scanlon AO, said in a statement.
In response to her appointment, Ikeazor said:
“This is an exciting opportunity for me to help steer wildlife conservation policy from within a unique alliance of African countries’, Ikeazor said while accepting her appointment.
“The EPI is dedicated to conserving elephants and ensuring a better future for people who live near them, and I wholeheartedly share those objectives.”
Other members of the Leadership Council are H.E The Former President of Botswana, Ian Khama, H.E The First Lady of Sierra Leone; Fatima Maada Bio, H.E The Former First Lady of Kenya; Margaret Kenyatta, H.E the Former Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Hailemariam Desalegn, and Gabon’s Minister of Forests, Oceans, Environment and Climate Change, Lee White.
