The Lekki Conservation Centre, the Nigerian Conservation Foundation’s reserve inside Lagos, was given the Award for Excellence in Urban Ecotourism and Environmental Sustainability at the ninth National Tourism and Transportation Summit and Awards Night. The award was presented on July 28, 2026 at the NICON Luxury Hotel in Abuja, at the gala night that closed the two-day summit.
The Nigerian Conservation Foundation published its account of the award on October 12, 2026, which is a little under three months after the ceremony. The date on the story is the publication date; the date of the award is July 28.
Who collected it
The center was represented in Abuja by a delegation led by Uchenna Achunine, the foundation’s Director of Business Development and Partnerships, with Project Manager Stephen Aina. Abdullatif Naima and Fagbire Paul were also part of the group.
The summit itself is a tourism and transport industry event rather than a conservation one, bringing together policymakers, tourism operators, transport specialists and industry figures, and the awards night covers both sectors.
What the center is being recognized for
Lekki Conservation Centre’s distinguishing feature is its address. It is a protected area inside one of the largest and fastest-growing cities in Africa, which makes it a working argument that a city can keep a piece of its own ecology intact and let people walk through it.
The foundation’s case for the award is that the center combines three things that usually sit in different institutions: conservation of the habitat itself, recreation, and environmental education. Its position is that ecotourism works as a conservation tool when it gives people a reason to care about a place they can actually visit, and that green space inside a developing city is worth defending on exactly those grounds.
Which zoos pay for this
We looked for an accredited zoo or aquarium funding the Nigerian Conservation Foundation and did not find one. Nothing in the award announcement names a zoological institution, and nothing on the foundation’s own partnership pages does either.
The foundation has appeared on this site twice in recent weeks on its own merits, once for its Chief S.L. Edu doctoral research grant and once for Nigeria’s national business action plan for biodiversity. It is one of the organizations in this region where the funding trace runs back to Nigerian corporate and government sources rather than to zoos, and saying that plainly is more useful than leaving the question open.
The foundation’s announcement is on the NCF Nigeria site.
Quick answers
- What award did Lekki Conservation Centre win?
The Award for Excellence in Urban Ecotourism and Environmental Sustainability, at the ninth National Tourism and Transportation Summit and Awards Night.
- When and where was it presented?
On July 28, 2026, at the NICON Luxury Hotel in Abuja, at the gala night that closed the two-day summit. The Nigerian Conservation Foundation published its account of the award on October 12, 2026.
- Who accepted the award?
A delegation led by Uchenna Achunine, the foundation’s Director of Business Development and Partnerships, with Project Manager Stephen Aina. Abdullatif Naima and Fagbire Paul were also part of the group.
- What is the Lekki Conservation Centre?
A protected area run by the Nigerian Conservation Foundation inside Lagos, combining habitat conservation, recreation and environmental education in one of the largest and fastest-growing cities in Africa.
- Which zoos fund the Nigerian Conservation Foundation?
We looked and did not find an accredited zoo or aquarium among its funders. Nothing in the award announcement names a zoological institution, and nothing on the foundation’s own partnership pages does either.
