WAPCA Team

Andrea Dempsey, BA, MSc - Director

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Andrea became Country Coordinator in November 2014. Prior to this role, she worked at the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) for ten years as a Senior Zoo Keeper with primates and big cats at London Zoo. She also served as Co-chair of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA) Mammal Working Group Primate Focus Group and as a Council Member of the Association of British Wild Animal Keepers (ABWAK).

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Andrea first became involved with West African Primate Conservation Action (WAPCA) in 2007 when ZSL received a new group of white-naped mangabeys. Soon after, she travelled to Ghana, spending one month working with WAPCA and collecting data as part of the breeding research she was undertaking for the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) Ex-situ Species Programme (EEP). She returned to Ghana in early 2014 to carry out fieldwork for her MSc in Primate Conservation, working again with WAPCA on primate surveys.

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In 2019 Andrea became WAPCA Programme Manager, based in the UK, and in 2025 she was appointed Director. She is also the EAZA Afro-Eurasian Taxon Advisory Group (TAG) Vice Chair and Conservation Advisor, a member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Primate Specialist Group, an EAZA Forest Guenon Monitor, and an IUCN Red List Assessor. Andrea recently became the global breeding programme coordinator for the Diana monkey and is also a member of the Bristol Zoological Society Conservation Advisory Group and the EAZA Conservation Committee.

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Karen Akuaku, BSc, MSc - In-situ Projects Coordinator

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Karen holds an MSc in Forest and Nature Conservation with a specialisation in Management from Wageningen University and Research, and a BSc in Environmental and Natural Resources Management from Presbyterian University, Ghana. As WAPCA’s In-situ Projects Coordinator, Karen oversees project implementation and coordination at Ankasa-Tanoé and Cape Three Points Community Resource Management Areas (CREMAs). In her free time, she enjoys watching nature documentaries.

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Núria Badiella MPhil, BSc - Team Leader / Education & Research Coordinator

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Nuria has been working with WAPCA since 2016. In 2012, through a collaboration with Barcelona Zoo and as part of her Biology degree, she carried out behavioural research on white-naped mangabeys at the Endangered Primate Breeding Centre (EPBC). Nuria coordinates WAPCA’s conservation education projects, from city-based initiatives to programmes in the communities where WAPCA works. As Research Coordinator, she supervises students from the WAPCA Research Group and ensures that WAPCA’s research strategy is implemented. She also provides administrative support to the Programme Manager in the office.

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Foster Poasangma, BSc - Ex-situ Projects Coordinator

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Foster joined WAPCA in September 2019. He monitors WAPCA’s ex-situ projects at both Accra Zoo and Kumasi Zoo. He holds a BSc in Mathematics and Statistics from the University of Ghana. In his free time, Foster enjoys reading Christian novels and swimming.

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Frank N'Darko - Ankasa-Tano Communication Lead

 

Frank has been working with WAPCA since its inception in 2010. He completed Middle School in 1986. Frank supports WAPCA by patrolling and monitoring primate populations. In his free time, he enjoys high jump and football.

 

Selaise Tsorgali - Patrol & Research Lead

 

Selasie has been working with WAPCA since 2012. He completed primary school in 1998. As Patrol Team Leader at Ankasa–Tanoé and Cape Three Points landscapes, Selasie oversees all patrol activities and trains patrollers in primate identification and behaviour. He also supports the Research and Education Coordinator. In his free time, Selasie enjoys a variety of sporting activities.

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Charles Afosah - Cape Three Point Project Lead

 

Charles began working with WAPCA in January 2021. He holds a degree in Integrated Development Studies from the University for Development Studies (UDS). As Project Lead for the Cape Three Points project area, Charles is responsible for training and capacity building, strengthening and supporting community patrols, implementing key awareness campaigns, restoring degraded areas of the forest reserve, and supporting CREMA.

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