Meet Our Team

Sarah Crawford Co-founder of Akatia with over 18 years' experience in the non-profit sector in Africa. On her arrival in Abidjan, she began working with patas monkeys who were victims of trafficking in Abidjan. Through this avenue, she cared for Nemley Junior, the young chimpanzee rescued from traffickers during an investigation by BBC News. This experience led to her decision to use her knowledge of NGO management and government relations to protect the chimpanzees of Côte d'Ivoire and stop the illegal pet trade.

In January 2021, she took over the management of the Chimpanzee Sanctuary and was appointed President of Akatia. After gaining significant experience in human resources management, Dominique Liberce put her career on hold to follow her husband's expatriation to Abidjan. Highly committed to the animal cause, she became a volunteer at Abidjan National Zoo. After learning about the plight of chimpanzees in Côte d'Ivoire, Dominique joined the Akatia team in 2017 as General Secretary.

Claire Saramitto is Franco-Ivorian and is in charge of finance and administration in a construction company. She is deeply moved by the animal cause because of their innocence and the hellish life that humans cause them on earth. She provides technical support to Akatia for all our construction projects.

With a Master's degree in International Business, Alain is the founder of a start-up in natural and artisanal agri-foods, and is today involved at many levels in our generation's fight to change our relationship with nature and the environment around us. His love of nature motivated him to join Akatia and fight for the protection of flora and fauna in Côte d'Ivoire.

Estelle Raballand, co/Fondatrice de Akatia, a plus de 20 ans d'expérience de travail avec les chimpanzés en Afrique de l'Ouest. Elle est la fondatrice du Chimpanzee Conservation Center et en était auparavant la directrice pendant 16 ans. Elle a également aidé à créer Sanaga-Yong Chimpanzee Rescue avec le Dr Sheri Speede. Elle a également été membre fondateur de PASA Primates : Pan African Sanctuary Alliance. Estelle est membre fondateur d'Akatia.

Gaspard Julien-Laferrière got involved in conservation by going to the Chimpanzee Conservation Centre in Guinea Conakry in 2014 as a volunteer. After spending 3 years there, including 2 as manager of the release site, he continued in conservation and has been working since 2020 as coordinator of the EAGLE Côte d'Ivoire project, an NGO specialising in the fight against trafficking in protected species.

Board of Directors: General Secretary 
Julie has always had a passion for animals and has a Masters degree in ethology. Professionally involved in French wildlife conservation, she has diversified her field of action with some experience in primatology. She has also been involved in wildlife conservation in Côte d'Ivoire since joining Akatia in 2021, where she was in charge of the camp for 8 months.