Morocco’s OCP Foundation supports sustainable development project in Senegal

Morocco’s OCP Foundation is supporting a sustainable development project for the Niokolo Koba National Park, located in the southeast of the country, 650 km away from Dakar in the Tambacounda Region.

The goal is to support the National Parks Direction (DPN) in three complementary areas: monitoring the quality of the park’s water, empowering neighboring populations and raising awareness among local communities about natural resources’ preservation.

The Niokolo Koba Park is an important reservoir of faunal and floral biodiversity, and with the 17 surrounding communes, the Park is subject to multiple stresses from the local residents, causing devastating effects on its natural resources, particularly water. This has led to its inclusion in UNESCO’s list of World Heritage in Danger since 2007.

This project is the first in a series of initiatives launched by OCP Foundation in Senegal to preserve natural heritage and contribute to community development in the country.

As part of the first component, the OCP Foundation relied on the expertise of the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) in Morocco, to provide a training cycle on water quality control. A capacity building program for ministry officials and staff has been developed and, to date, 24 executives and agents have already received training in this area.

In addition, the OCP Foundation has made available to the DPN a water quality analysis device composed of a mobile laboratory, 2 pickups and 6 motorcycles, and equipped with analysis kits for monitoring the quality of ground and surface water. Thus, all along the Gambia River which crosses the park and which extends for almost 250 km, the park authorities are able to have a better water quality monitoring plan available and can undertake the corrective measures in time.

OCP Foundation is a non-profit organization committed to sustainable human development in Morocco and in many other southern countries. Through an integrated approach built on social innovation, the Foundation strives to contribute to an inclusive socio-economic progress, skills development and knowledge dissemination.

The Foundation uses its expertise and network of partners to co-build sustainable and impactful solutions that meet the priority needs of the communities it serves.