By Sah Terence Animbom
At the installation ceremony of Prof. Ernest L. Molua as Deputy Vice Chancellor in charge of Research and Cooperation with the Business World in the University of Bamenda, on February 9, 2023 at the Amphi 340 of the institution, the Vice Chancellor of the institution; Prof. Theresia Nkuo Akenji cautioned the new DVC RCB as well as all academic and support staff to avoid unnecessary media outings especially within the context of the armed conflict that the North West and South West regions of the country are going through.
In Prof Theresia’s installation speech she said, “…Continue to resist being trapped into unnecessary media outings, be they social or mainstream media. Respect the rules governing institutional communication at the University of Bamenda. The University has rules governing both internal and external communications, hence declarations about the university on the media must follow the right channel and these declarations must uphold the integrity and dignity of our beloved University of Bamenda, the University of the Future.”
Talking to the press after the installation ceremony, Professor Ernest Molua, expressed gratitude to the President of the Republic as well as his hierarchy in the ministry of higher education and his bosses in the various state universities he has served in, among them the Universities of Bamenda, Douala and Buea.
Prof Molua plans to be a team player in working with his colleagues of the University of Bamenda to realize the mission, vision and objectives of the University with respect to its research, its teaching and its outreach programs. “As the new deputy vice chancellor in charge of Research and Cooperation with the Business world, I intend to put efforts where my predecessor ended and contribute to the strategic development plan of the University with respect to the key issues of research and cooperation and relations with the business world. My additional input, will the increasedinternationalization ofthe university of Bamenda with respect to research and cooperation.” He told the press.
Prior to his appointment, on January 24, 2023, Prof Molua had served as the Registrar of the University of Buea from 2019 to 2021. The African Association of Agricultural Economists profiles him as follows. “…He has also served as Director for the Center for Independent Development Research (CIDR), Buea, Cameroon. Formerly, Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine of the University of Buea, Cameroon, he obtained a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from the Georg-August University of Goettingen in Germany, as well as academic degrees from the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University in Copenhagen, Denmark and the University of Benin, Nigeria. A US Fulbright Research Fellow and research associate at Yale University, USA, he also serves as Visiting Professor to the University of Pretoria, South Africa, the Trade Policy Training Centre for Africa in Arusha, Tanzania, and the United Nations African Institute for Economic Development and Planning in Dakar, Senegal.
He is a consultant to the Mathematica Policy Research Corporation, Washington DC, as well as the World Bank and the United Nations Development Programme. In addition to his membership in the International Association of Agricultural Economists (IAAE) and the African Association of Agricultural Economists (AAAE), he is also a member of the Royal Economic Society (RES) of the United Kingdom.”