African voices lead bold new push for wildlife conservation

(Washington, D.C. – 24 September 2025) A new media partnership is bringing Africa’s own voices to the forefront of wildlife conservation. Launching first in Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Kenya, the partnership engages more than 80 television, radio, and billboard networks to inspire action for Africa’s wildlife and wild spaces.

Pan-African audiences are also reached through the Music for Wildlife series, currently airing on Pan-African broadcasters. This series features performances from top African musicians and short videos with key African influencers and frontline conservation heroes.

From rangers mitigating poaching to local ambassadors promoting eco-tourism, the initiative promotes community-led solutions to protect elephants, lions, and other iconic African species. It also addresses urgent challenges like human-wildlife conflict, illegal bushmeat consumption, and habitat loss.

“This isn’t just about conservation—it’s about celebrating the knowledge and resilience of communities who live side-by-side with wildlife every day,” said Azzedine Downes, President and CEO of IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare. “Their stories deserve to be heard, and their leadership is critical for shaping Africa’s future.”

Behind the initiative are two major players: IFAW, with decades of experience delivering frontline projects such as its flagship Room to Roam program that connects landscapes for elephants and other wildlife, and Wild Africa, which leverages media partnerships and local ambassadors from the music, sports, film, and faith sectors to bring conservation messages to the widest possible audience.

According to Peter Knights, OBE, CEO of Wild Africa, the partnership is a game-changer: “African wildlife and conservation stories are shared around the world, but are rarely told through African voices. Conservation must be made more accessible to a much wider audience. Through this partnership, we’re ensuring these stories are not only heard globally, but also resonate with the communities they come from.”

At its heart, the partnership is about scale, reach, and impact. By weaving together music, culture, and the lived experiences of African communities, the initiative offers a powerful call to action: protect wildlife, protect wild spaces, and protect the shared future of people and animals.

Note to editors: Video links available here: https://spaces.hightail.com/space/A5tbjqLSUa 

PRESS CONTACTS:

Kinda Jabi (IFAW)
Communications Manager – Executive Office, IFAW
e: Kjabi@ifaw.org
m: +971 55 626 1017

Leozette Roode (Wild Africa)
Head of PR and Digital for Wild Africa
e: leo@wildafrica.org
m: +27 71 360 1104

About IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare)

IFAW is a global non-profit helping animals and people thrive together. We are experts and everyday people, working across seas, oceans and in more than 40 countries around the world. We rescue, rehabilitate and release animals, and we restore and protect their natural habitats. The problems we’re up against are urgent and complicated. To solve them, we match fresh thinking with bold action. We partner with local communities, governments, non-governmental organisations and businesses. Together, we pioneer new and innovative ways to help all species flourish. See how at ifaw.org

About Wild Africa

Wild Africa aims to be Africa’s most effective conservation communicator, inspiring public support and political will to protect Africa’s wildlife and wild spaces forever. We believe people and wildlife can only survive and thrive together, so we are popularizing conservation with a much broader audience than has previously been engaged. By amplifying the voices of African opinion leaders from every field through a powerful network of media partners and diverse programming, we seek to promote domestic wildlife tourism, local conservation projects, and the passage and effective enforcement of conservation laws. Through our communications and direct support, we also aim to deliver permanent reductions in wildlife crime, the demand for illegal bushmeat, human-wildlife conflict and habitat loss. Our network includes more than 25 national and international broadcasters, as well as radio, newspaper, billboard, PR and social media companies, who work with us pro bono to add their voices and promote conservation and environmental issues. We partner with 200+ ambassadors from music, sports, film, TV, business, religion, and government from Nigeria, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Rwanda, Ghana, Namibia, Tanzania, and Somaliland. See wildafrica.org.