By IKome Christie-NoellaEposi in Buea
The University of Buea (UB) community gathered at the Dorothy LimungaNjeuma Amphitheatre recently to extend New Year wishes to the Vice-Chancellor (VC) of the institution, Professor Ngomo Horace Manga, while celebrating the university’s remarkable achievements under his leadership. Faculty, staff, and students lauded the VC’s commitment to academic excellence, infrastructural development, and institutional progress despite prevailing challenges.
Registrar commends Vice-Chancellor’s leadership
In her speech, the Registrar of UB, Professor Eneke Bechem, highlighted the university’s successes in the past year, attributing them to the Vice-Chancellor’s vision and leadership. She equally acknowledged the challenges the university faced while commending its resilience in maintaining high academic standards. She expressed gratitude to Professor Ngomo Horace Manga for his leadership, which she said has enabled UB to continue excelling despite the difficulties. “Mr. Vice-Chancellor, your dedication and allegiance to excellence have been the backbone behind the success of this university. The University of Buea remains a beacon of academic excellence, innovation, and service to our community”, Professor Bechem stated.
The Registrar noted that under Professor Ngomo’s leadership, the University of Buea has remained a model institution, recording achievements in academic programmes, student admissions, and research initiatives. Key milestones included: The creation and operationalisation of the Higher Teachers Training College (HTTC), Buea, admission of 12,362 students for the 2024-2025 academic year, successful conduct of teaching, examinations, and research activities, international recognition of UB students, including awards at the Huawei Global Competition in China, expansion of entrepreneurial initiatives, including the launch of UB Driving School and a Vehicle Testing Centre amongst others.
Professor Bechem also highlighted the launch of new academic programmes, particularly within the recently established Higher Teachers Training College (HTTC), Buea, created by a Presidential Decree in May 2024. “The college commenced operations with 646 students across its two cycles. In research and development, UB took significant strides. The Faculty of Science hosted the fourth edition of its Science Expo, while the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication organised a workshop on environmental and climate journalism. The university also inaugurated the Center for Drug Discovery, underscoring its commitment to scientific advancement. UB students continued to shine on the global stage, securing top positions in the Huawei Global Competition in China, with accolades in Cloud Computing and Network tracks. Locally, UB excelled in the University Games, winning two gold, five silver, and nine bronze medals”, she detailed.
The Registrar also acknowledged infrastructural challenges such as limited classroom space, financial constraints, and security concerns but remained optimistic about overcoming them under the Vice-Chancellor’s stewardship. She expressed confidence in the leadership of VC Ngomo to navigate these difficulties. “With your guidance, Mr. Vice-Chancellor, we will continue to build an institution that fosters academic excellence and professional growth”, she said.
VC’s response: A commitment to excellence
In response, UB’s VC, Professor Ngomo Horace Manga expressed gratitude for the recognition, emphasising that the university’s progress is a collective effort. “We move forward together, and there is space for everyone in this journey of academic and institutional growth,” he remarked. Acknowledging faculty performance, he praised the scientific evaluation of teaching quality, emphasising that rigorous student assessments provide valuable feedback for lecturers.
He also reiterated UB’s commitment to research and development, citing the university’s strong track record in training professionals across various sectors, including medicine, engineering, and social sciences. The VC underscored UB’s role in national development, particularly in fostering tech startups through Silicon Mountain and mentoring private higher education institutions. “We are swimming against the tide of challenges, but we are winning,” he declared, referring to UB’s resilience in overcoming infrastructural and financial constraints. “Despite the challenges, we continue to produce graduates who are not only employable but also contribute meaningfully to society,” he stated.
Professor Ngomo called on faculty members to remain committed to the university’s mission of teaching, training, research, and outreach. He urged newly promoted staff to uphold academic excellence and professionalism, ensuring that UB graduates are well-equipped for the job market. The VC also encouraged students to take inspiration from those recognised for their achievements, urging them to strive for excellence in both academics and extracurricular activities. “This university produces graduates who are not only academically excellent but also well-rounded individuals prepared to make a difference in society.”
Recognising excellence and institutional development
The event also featured the recognition of outstanding lecturers, administrative staff, and students who excelled in various domains. Promotions of UB lecturers at the 2024 CCIU meeting were announced, and awards were presented to the best teachers and workers of 2024.
Further highlighting UB’s development strides, the university officially inaugurated its Digital Center, offering free internet access to students and staff until 2026. This initiative, alongside advancements in hybrid learning, is expected to enhance research and academic performance.
In addition to its academic growth, UB expanded its entrepreneurial initiatives with the establishment of UB Driving School and a Vehicle Testing Centre, both approved by the Minister of Transport. Through a partnership with Cote d’Azur in France, UB acquired five training vehicles and simulators, reinforcing its commitment to hands-on professional training.
The ceremony concluded with a handshake session, where the Vice-Chancellor exchanged greetings with faculty heads, central administration officials, and students, reinforcing the spirit of unity within the UB community.
VC’s interview
Talking to the press, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Buea, Professor Ngomo Horace Manga said, “We call on the members of staff and the entire University community to be much more committed to the mission assigned to higher education by government which is executed through the Universities and that mission is to teach, train, to do research and to disseminate the product of the research to benefit the larger society”.
“We are in an environment where we face some challenges for obvious reasons but we are urging the lecturers, the newly promoted to be much more committed to the vision of the University. We know that there are a lot of distractions and they work in a challenging environment because of security, inadequate public utilities such as water, light which may disturb laboratory or research work etc but nonetheless, we urge them to be focused on their duties and ensure that they respect the exigencies of quality assurance so that every year graduates meet up with the expectations of the job market because the whole idea of creating a University is to build capacity in our citizens. So they must keep that mission in focus and so I took advantage of the opportunity offered by this event to reiterate that mission statement, the expectation of the University, government, that the training they give, the professionalisation that is advocated for by government which is being implemented in the universities, should be such as to raise the employability of the students in terms of marketable skills. So we want them to keep in focus that mission”, Professor Ngomo averred.
The Vice Chancellor encouraged the students to be inspired by the victories and successes of those recognised. “That is the whole purpose of celebrating them. To showcase the capacity of the University of Buea to be competitive in all areas not just in academia but also in those extracurricular activities that build the human being, the graduates and that ensure that the students can exhibit the values and qualities we see, which are also marketable.
Remark by GwendolineMokake, HoS for PR and Communication
According to the Head of Service in charge of Public Relations and Communication of UB, Gwendoline Mokake, the recognition given to her is indeed an honour. “I have worked here since 1996. I was employed as a secretary and after going through school to improve on my values, I was sent to the communication department. This recognition humbles me to see that the duties I carryout are being recognised. I did not know that this was going on and so I feel very humble and I am very grateful to the University of Buea for this recognition and I can only say that I will continue to work for the University because this University helped a lot in my professional growth.”
A bright future for UB
As the University of Buea moves into 2025, the institution remains focused on academic excellence, innovation, and community service. While challenges persist, the collective resolve of its leadership, faculty, and students ensures continued progress and also ensures that UB will continue to be a pillar of academic distinction in Cameroon and beyond. “Let’s embrace the New Year with open hearts and minds, ready to seize every opportunity to make a positive impact.With the visionary leadership of our Vice-Chancellor, we are confident that UB will continue to shine as a beacon of higher education,”, the Registrar, Prof. Bechem affirmed.