AKAGERA FENCE ‘AHEAD OF SCHEDULE’
Construction of the electric fence along the boundaries of the Akagera National Park in Rwanda is according to the latest reports proceeding ahead of schedule, as a recent inspection revealed. The work is carried out through the Rwanda Demobilisation and Reintegration Commission, which offers employment opportunities to army veterans and erstwhile rebels who laid down their arms and sought amnesty.
Fencing the park became a priority for the joint venture between the Rwanda Development Board – Tourism and Conservation and their partners African Parks, when an increase in wildlife raiding the farms near the park were reported and injuries and deaths caused by marauding buffalo and other game. Akagera is Rwanda’s only ‘savannah’ national park and popular with tourist visitors keen to see plains game after tracking gorillas or hiking in the Nyungwe Forest National Park.
The project, worth over 2.7 million US Dollars, is due to be completed by February next year but with work well ahead of schedule area residents can look forward to see themselves and their crops better protected much earlier than initially thought.
Visit www.rwandatourism.com for information on the latest developments in Rwanda’s national parks or simply google ‘Akagera National Park’ for more details on the flora and fauna of this unique area.
