Nigerian conservationist Prof. Edem Archibong Eniang is representing Nigeria at the inaugural World Congress on Snakes (WCS 2026) holding in Kandy, Sri Lanka.
More than 500 researchers, ophiologists and medical experts from 25 countries are participating in the four-day congress, scheduled for October 1 to 4, 2026, at the Grand Kandyan Hotel.
Eniang, Executive Director of the Biodiversity Preservation Centre (BPC) and Professor of Wildlife Resources Management at the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, is reportedly Nigeria’s sole representative at the event.
The Chairman of the BRACED Tourism Promotion and Development Initiative (BTPDI) and Convener of the Africa Blue Economy Roundtable (ABER), Dr Piriye Kiyaramo, disclosed this in a statement.
Kiyaramo congratulated Eniang, describing him as a distinguished conservationist who has devoted more than three decades to herpetology, primate conservation and the protection of endangered species.
He said Eniang’s participation as a BTPDI board member was a source of pride to Akwa Ibom State, the Niger Delta and Nigeria.
According to the organisers, the congress is the first international conference dedicated entirely to snake biology, conservation and public health. It brings together more than 300 international scientists and over 100 local researchers.
The programme features plenary sessions, symposia, workshops and field excursions covering 12 thematic areas, including snake biology and evolution, human-snake coexistence, snakebite management and toxicology, conservation genomics, artificial intelligence, citizen science and climate change.
Kiyaramo said Sri Lanka was selected to host the congress because of its rich reptilian diversity, noting that the island is home to 112 snake species, with more than 56 per cent endemic.
Congress Chair, Prof. Anslem de Silva, said the event would position Sri Lanka as a major centre for global snake research and conservation policy.
Snakebite envenoming, classified by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as a neglected tropical disease, causes an estimated 81,000 to 138,000 deaths annually.
Kiyaramo said Eniang’s participation demonstrated the contribution of African expertise to global efforts to address snakebite, conserve biodiversity and promote human-snake coexistence.
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