On 18th and 19th February, 2023 the Conservation Society of Sierra Leone (CSSL) participated in the NGO Fest 2023 which was organised by the African NGO Council and hosted at the Radisson Blu Garden, Aberdeen in Freetown. This is an annual festival where NGOs as well as government ministries, departments and agencies participate in a two-day exhibition of their work for the viewing public. This gives them the opportunity to market information on their respective work, and also improve on their networking and collaboration with like-minded institutions and individuals.
To promote our work, CSSL brought with it some environmental and conservation information handouts and promotional (visibility) materials including CSSL-branded T-shirts and sunhats, brochures, newsletters, among others to the NGO Fest. Visitors at the CSSL exhibition booth learned a lot about the Society’s work in the Greater Gola Landscape through the EU funded PAPFor and BIOPAMA projects; our efforts to support communities and government in protecting Lake Sonfon in Koinadugu district; our initiatives to foster the protection of the Western Area Peninsula National Park; our lead role in reducing the hazards of oil and gas activities on marine environment through the Coalition on Oil and Gas Pollution on the Environment (COGaPE); and our environmental education activities across the country through the CSSL supported school nature clubs, among others.
Thanks to the organisers who approached us to participate at such important trade fair. We utilised every bit of opportunity we had at the NGO Fest by promoting our work to all those who visited our booth. This was done through discussions about the efforts the Society has been investing in conservation work over the years, and the sustained interventions the organisation continues to undertake towards community-centred biodiversity conservation and environmental protection in Sierra Leone. We look forward to seeing many more of our valued visitors again next year.
