Godlove Bainkong
6 November 2009
The calibre of foreign-based Cameroon researchers makes their involvement in upgrading scientific research in the country imperative.
Cameroon has an impressive number of abroad-based scientific researchers in several sectors who could cause a turnaround in the country were they detected and made part of government's development plan. The just-ended excellent week of scientific research and innovation which the government placed under the banner "Science and Sustainable Development: Role of the Cameroonian Diaspora", unmasked budding talents in research who for reasons only known to them opted for greener pastures elsewhere.
The case of David Mola, Chief Executive Officer of Mola Solaire Internationale, a giant renewable energy company in Germany, is eye-catching. The 39-year-old has a wealth of knowledge and today rubs shoulders with some of the world's most renowned researchers. The genius in solar energy has been honoured by the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel for his remarkable contributions in solar energy and his name equally features on the German Republic Encyclopaedia.
Chosen as guest of honour for JERSIC 2009, the indigene of Djongdong in the Mayo Danay Division said he as well as other researchers are fully ready to contribute their own quota in improving research in the country and consequently development. But this, he said, on condition that government reconciles with them. He did not deny possibilities of extending his company to Cameroon especially as the country greatly lags behind in energy, but that he and other researchers would want the government to create a conducive investment environment. He said government should provide technical and financial support for researchers in the country, as well as exploit the expertise of the diaspora so that together they could improve research in the country and boost development.
A German-based Cameroon Association of Engineers and Computer Scientists, whose members actively took part in JERSIC, is already working towards leaving a mark in their home land. They said some of their objectives include channelling talents of Cameroonian engineers and computer scientists, developing and implementing development-oriented projects, technology and knowledge transfer, using, preserving and protecting natural resources for sustainable development in Cameroon. They also intend to contribute to the establishment of technological institutions in Cameroon. Other researchers came from other parts of the world including France.
Their expertise in their various spheres of operation, coupled with the burning desire to be part of the development plan of the country, is an opportunity that government should not afford to miss. Assuring them that their contributions will be taken into consideration would be a good move but improving the hitherto hostile investment climate characterized by long, tedious and costly procedures as well as business-unfriendly taxes could be better.
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Cameroon's Diapora Researchers are surprisingly a brilliant lot whose great learning is not geared towards the advancement of either the country or the continent they belong to. Theirs is the business of using the knowlegede acquired paid for by the people of Cameroon to kill the very people.
They blatantly ship expired drugs to Cameroon in a bid to make money. Even the Americans are shocked of such mean and heartless mentality from the Cameroon diaspora. The people and government of Camerron donot need such intellectuals whose skills is to kill rather than benefit the people.