AFRICA PROGRAM
Modeled on the River Ethiope Trust Foundation’s decades-long effort to establish rights for the River Ethiope in Nigeria, the Africa Program works to advance ecocentric protections for rivers across the continent.
Current Campaigns
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River Ethiope
A precedent-setting initiative to establish legal rights for the River Ethiope in Nigeria.
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Nile River
Rights of Nature training for Nile River Basin journalists.
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Earth Law Training
ELC trains lawyers and advocates in Africa to join the Earth law movement.
Key Achievements
Drafted the River Ethiope Rights Act. Completed in 2019, this act would be the first law to give an African river legal rights, ensuring its freedom from pollution and destruction, and serving as a precedent for river rights in Africa and across the globe.
Regulated Pollution Along the River Ethiope. Appealing to existing Nigerian environmental laws, we halted polluting industrial projects impacting the River Ethiope, including a rubber processing plant, the Julius Berger Railway Project, and the Presco PLC Palm Oil Plantation. We also urged the successful implementation of federal and state inspections of the River Ethiope and the River Ethiope Baseline Report to monitor water quality.
Built Community Along the River Ethiope. We worked with citizens to implement educational initiatives and build communities around sustainable livelihoods and traditions along the river, including sustainable local fisheries. In 2021, we launched the annual River Ethiope Festival Week as a celebration of the river’s ecosystem and human culture.
Downloadable resources for the Africa Program
Irikefe V. Dafe
Africa Lead
Support the Africa Program
Header Photo: Unsplash / Hu Chen; Campaigns (left to right): Irikefe V. Dafe; Unplash / Melissa Askew; Unsplash / Ayoola Salako
Resources Photo: Unsplash / deshawn wilson; Footer Photo: Unsplash / Martin Fennema