Mole National Park, the best-managed in West Africa – IMET

The Mole National Park in the Savannah Region of Ghana has been adjudged the best-managed national parks in West Africa in the Integrated Management Effectiveness Tool, (IMET) results presentation.

This presentation was a restitution workshop which took place on March 9,2023, at the Paloma Hotel in Accra, which brought together representatives of Wildlife Division of Forestry Commission, selected park managers of Ghana’s Protected Area Network, Non-State Operators and Stakeholders working in the Mole Landscape.

The workshop was organized under the auspices of PAPBio – Regional Governance of Protected Area and Security program, implemented by the International Union for the Conservative of Nature (IUCN), through its Regional Programme for Central and West Africa (PACO).

The campaigns of the IMET within the West Africa protected areas were started in order to have a harmonious computer-based reporting system which can be used by all protected areas at local, Regional and National levels.

The IMET assessment is also to improve the efficiency of protected areas management and to feed the regional observatory for biodiversity and protected areas in West Africa.

IMET coach Phillipe Tamani in November, 2021 led IMET assessment team to Mole National Park to carry out an intensive five-days assessment at the park.

The recent workshop held in Accra was therefore an opportunity to have had the IMET team report on the assessments carried out at the Mole the Park.

In presenting the report, recommendations that were formulated to contribute to the improvement of the management efficiency of the protected area were communicated and discussed with stakeholders.

At the workshop, managers of the protected areas were sanitized on the importance of the IMET tool for assessment of the protected areas.

The executive director of PAPBio programme, Dr. Arsene Sanon, officially handed over deliverables from the IMET campaigns to the representative of the Executive Director of the Wildlife Division, Mr Enoch Amasa Ashie who also handed copies to the Manager of Mole National Park, Mr Ali Mahama.

It is expected that the Mole National Park management will not rest on its oars except to strive hard to place the Mole Park on the pedestal of the world-class protected areas in the world.