Construction of the US $10m Gorilla Conservation Centre in Rwanda is now 50% complete. Dubbed “Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund”, it is the Ellen Fund’s first project to supports Rwanda’s conservation efforts for endangered species, starting with gorillas.

Construction works on the project began back in February 2019 and was scheduled for completion in early 2021. However, due to unavoidable circumstances including Covid-19, construction was disrupted. According to Félix Ndagijimana, the Director of Rwanda programmes at Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund and Karisoke Research Center, completion is now scheduled for late 2021. “Construction was suspended for approximately six weeks between March and May 2020, as the whole country went on lockdown to battle the pandemic,” he said.

Upon completion the campus which is close to Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park in Kinigi sector of Musanze district, is expected to boost mountain gorilla conservation efforts and promote Rwanda’s tourism. Gorillas’ conservation in Rwanda was pioneered by Dian Fossey, an American primatologist and conservationist from 1966 until she was murdered in 1985. The Ellen Fund aims to continue Dian Fossey’s journey and help save mountain gorillas in the wild.

The construction of the campus is being carried out by MASS Build Design Group.

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