Major Achievements

CSIR-Forestry Research Institute of Ghana unveils first ever wildlife museum at Fumesua

In an effort to promote local wildlife conservation, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has set up the CSIR Wildlife Museum at the Forest Research Institute of Ghana (FORIG) in Fumesua, Ashanti Region. This first-of-a-kind initiative features a collection of parts from some rare wildlife species, DNAs, and various specific information about wildlife species, enlightening visitors about Ghana and the world’s wildlife state.

The establishment aims not only to preserve indigenous wildlife but also to educate and raise awareness, fostering a commitment to biodiversity conservation and challenging prevailing attitudes. The Wildlife Museum will play a crucial role in scientific discovery by facilitating exploration, curation, study, and dissemination of research findings in collaboration with National Parks and Zoos in Ghana and beyond.
 
During the museum’s inauguration, Prof. Paul Bosu, the Director-General of CSIR, emphasized its significance in conserving biodiversity in Ghana. ~“Museums worldwide are repositories for the collection, exhibition, and study of objects of artistic, historic, scientific, and educational interest".

CSIR-FORIG Opens a Wood Furniture Testing Lab

The Wood Furniture testing Lab commissioned by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) with support from the Government of Switzerland through the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), the center is located at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) - Forestry Research Institute of Ghana (FORIG), in Fumesua in the Ashanti Region.

The Wood and Furniture Testing Centre (WFTC) is the first of its kind in the West African sub-region and the third in Africa, following Egypt and South Africa, allowing Ghanaian and imported wood and furniture products to be tested to ensure they meet the required trade standards for consumer use and protection.

CSIR scientist discovers a new frog species - Afia Birago’s puddle Frog (Phrynobatrachus afiabirago)

CSIR-FORIG's Scientist Dr. Caleb Ofori Boateng discovers a new frog species to science that is only found in Ghana and nowhere else in the world.

With a total body length of less than 30mm, approximately the size of a match box, this brown and black colored frog is among the smallest amphibians on our planet.

In a scientific study published in the German-based peer reviewed scientific journal Zootaxa, Dr. Caleb Ofori-Boateng and Dr. Bright Kankam who made this discovery explained that this new frog species is different from all other known frog species based on a combination of both genetic and physical (morphological) differences that include distinct color patterns, body shape and size.

Dr. Caleb Ofori-Boateng found the first individual of this species in a small forest patch less than the size of half a football park, along a forest stream near the small little town of Jukwa, near the Kakum National Park, in the central region of Ghana.

Additional individuals of the species were later found in the Atewa Hills Forest Reserve where the scientists believe houses the most significant population of this frog.

Frogs are very beneficial to the environment and humans, our actions are wiping a lot of these species out of existence on a global scale”. Frogs are potential cure to HIV/AIDS and can contribute to reducing the prevalence of malaria by feeding on mosquito larvae and entreated the public to support frog conservation.

The new frog species, Phrynobatrachus afiabirago, has been named after the mother of the lead author (Dr. Caleb Ofori-Boateng), Madam Afia Birago due to her love for nature and struggles she overcame to raise him and his siblings. Madam Afia Birago, 67, is the surviving widow of the late Poku Ofori Amanfo, who whilst alive was a passionate wildlife protection officer at the Mole National Park. Madam Afia Birago is mother to seven other children including Richard Ofori- Amanfo who is a Park Manager at the Bia National Park.

The scientists worked alongside reputable scientist and organizations to describe the new species including Prof. Mark Oliver Rödel and Prof. Adam Leaché of the natural history museum, Berlin and University of Washington respectively.

Other interesting facts

  • The first time a frog has been named after a Ghanaian 
  • The new frog species can only be found in Ghana
  • Mining of the Atewa Hills forest reserve will most likely destroy the entire global population of this frog.