grantees » Gilbert Adum

Gilbert is the Co-founder, Executive Director and Ecologist at SAVE THE FROGS! Ghana (STF!-G), West Africa’s first non-profit organization dedicated to amphibian conservation. The mission of STF!-G is to protect Ghana’s amphibian populations and create a society that respects and appreciates wildlife and the environment through media campaigns.

Gilbert has been very active in sharing his work with the international scientific community.  His work has been featured in the academic journal Conservation Biology and on Mongabay.com, a leading source of conservation news. In 2011, he was granted the prestigious Cambridge SCCS Best Report Award and had the opportunity to present his research on ‘amphibians as bio-indicators of environmental sustainability’ at several scientific conferences in Ghana, the UK, Germany and Tanzania. Gilbert’s nominator, Kerry Kriger, PhD, says he is “one of the most promising young conservation leaders that I have ever had the pleasure of working with.”

His next challenge was to work with society and effectively communicate the importance of protecting frogs through media campaigns. He wanted to create promotional materials that were tailored to Ghanaians. He used his JWH Initiative grant to acquire skills in web development and graphic design. He describes his skills in graphic design as evolving “from zero to hero.” Gilbert remarks, “It is important to be zealous and passionate about environmental protection, but first there is the need to develop one’s potential to have far-reaching results.” Since finishing his courses, he has assisted STF!-G in creating graphic designs for posters, flyers, logos, illustrations and brochures, which have already been distributed to hundreds of people in Ghana.

The graphic design courses have empowered Gilbert to continue pursuing ambitious and challenging programs for STF!-G. He hopes to develop STF!-G into the leading primary source of amphibious information throughout Africa.