Environmental Prize to Ikal Angelei, Friend of Lake Turkana

The founder of Friends of Lake Turkana (FoLT) – and CELEP member – Ikal Angelei has been awarded the 2012 Goldman Environmental Prize for Africa in recognition of her efforts to save Lake Turkana and the livelihoods of the pastoralists living in the Lower Omo Basin and around the lake. She started a campaign to stop construction of the Gibe 3 Dam on the Omo River in Ethiopia. FoLT managed to convince several donors, including World Bank, European Investment Bank and African Development Bank, not to fund construction of the dam and convinced the UNESCO World Heritage Committee to call for a stop in construction. However, the struggle continues, as China is funding the dam, which is 40% complete, and FoLT is trying to convince the Kenyan Government to withdraw from its agreement with the Ethiopian Government to purchase 60% of the electricity generated by the dam. The film 2012 Goldman Prize for Africa: Ikal Angelei shows why and how she and the threatened pastoralists are campaigning against Gibe 3.

Posted on 19 April 2012 in News, Pastoralism & Natural Resources