Profile of Professor Gilbert Umaye ADIE

Professor Gilbert Umaye ADIE has been appointed as the third Executive Director of the Basel Convention Coordinating Centre for Training and Technology Transfer for the African Region (BCCC-Africa) by Honorable Balarabe Abbas Lawal, Minister of Environment on behalf of the Government of Nigeria, in consultation with the Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions. Professor Adie replaces the second Executive Director of the Centre, Professor Percy C. Onianwa, who recently retired from the service of the University of Ibadan. Prof Adie’s appointment took effect from September 30, 2025.

Gilbert U. Adie holds a B.Sc. (Hons) degree in Pure Chemistry from the University of Uyo in July, 2000; M.Sc. in Analytical Chemistry and Ph.D. in Analytical/Environmental Chemistry, both from the University of Ibadan in July, 2003 and January, 2008, respectively. Gilbert had his first appointment as Lecturer II at the Bell’s University of Technology, Ota, from April, 2008 to July, 2008. He was later appointed to the position of Lecturer II at the Redeemer’s University from August 2008 to October 2011. In November, 2011, he returned to his Alma Mater, the University of Ibadan and was appointed to the position of Lecturer I at the Department of Chemistry of the University. Gilbert rose through the ranks and attained the rank of Professor on October 1, 2022. He was the Departmental Postgraduate Coordinator on M.Sc. matters from April 2018 to May, 2025. He is currently the chairman of the Departmental Projects Committee.

His areas of research interest include monitoring of organic and inorganic contaminants in environmental samples; adsorption technology studies, characterization of electrical and electronic equipment with a focus on the trends in concentrations of toxic and precious metals in these equipment. Other interests include waste-to-wealth initiatives. He holds a Nigerian patent on the recycling of waste slag from used lead-acid batteries for the manufacture of fired clay building bricks and tiles.

At the University of Ibadan, Gilbert has taught several undergraduate and graduate courses on chemical analysis of environmental and other samples, as well as courses on national and global environmental issues. He has supervised over 40 M.Sc. and four Ph.D. students. He is published widely in local and international journals of environmental sciences and analytical chemistry. He is a reviewer for the Journal of Hazardous materials, Waste Management, Journal of Soil, Water and Air, Science of the Total Environment, among others.

Gilbert has been involved in the activities and projects of BCCC-Africa for over 15 years as a Senior Research Associate, providing technical expertise on many of the Centre’s projects. He has also consulted nationally and internationally on projects of various environmental issues.

He was National Expert, supporting SRADev-Nigeria, the local executing organization for the project, ‘Partnership for Responsible Battery and Metal Recycling (ProBaMet)’ with Oeko-Institut e.V (Client) on behalf of the Initiative for Global Solidarity managed by the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ), (2023 – 2025) (https://www.oeko.de/en/blog/the-partnership-for-responsible-battery-and-metal-recycling-probamet-project-starts-in-nigeria-with-visits-to-lead-smelters-in-ogun-state-1/); “Development of WEEE Smart Training Manual for the formal collectors of e-waste in Nigeria using the EPR guidelines”, an E-waste Extended Producer Responsibility Organization Project, funded by HIS Nigeria (https://epron.org.ng/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/WEEE-Smart-Training-Manual.pdf).

He was also National Environmental Consultant on the Development of Standards for Solar PV Modules, Batteries and Charge Controllers in Nigeria (Project number: 16.2121.8-002.00), funded by EU and BMZ and implemented by GIZ under Nigeria Energy Support Programme II (NESP II) (May, 2020 - December, 2022). Arising from this project was the development of the National Policy on Waste Battery Management, 2022. (https://www.developmentaid.org/organizations/awards/view/417201/standards-for-solar-pv-modules-batteries-and-charge-controllers)