The Minister of Scientific Research and Innovation, Dr Madeleine TCHUINTE, addressed the 68th Ordinary Session of the IAEA General Conference, held in Vienna, Austria.
As Head of Delegation, the Minister of Scientific Research and innovation, Dr Madeleine TCHUINTE was actively involved at the 68th Ordinary Session of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) General Conference, which kicked off on Monday 16 September 2024 in Vienna, Austria.
On Tuesday 17 September 2024, Dr Madeleine TCHUINTE addressed the IAEA General Assembly on behalf of Cameroon, which was warmly welcomed by the participants. She congratulated IAEA Director General and his team for “enhancing nuclear safety and security in the world thereby helping to prevent nuclear accidents, particularly in conflict zones”. Likewise, she pointed out that Cameroon welcomed initiatives undertaken by IAEA to meet the needs of Member States in the face of global challenges by applying nuclear techniques. She went on to highlight technical cooperation with Cameroon.The Minister stated that:”Cameroon strongly commends efforts to prioritise the emergence agenda and actions aimed at enhancing food and agricultural production sustainability and resilience as well as related means of livelihood in Member States“.
The following officials were part of the delegation led by MINRESI:Mr Victor NDOCKI, Ambassador, Head of the Permanent Mission of Cameroon to the IAEA; Mr Augustin SIMO, Director General of ANRP; Mr Patrice ELE ABIAMA, National Coordinator of the AFRA Programme; Mr Colince NGUELO, Representative of MINADER, Mr Francis Emmanuel NGOME AJEBESONE, Deputy Director General of IRAD.
On 29 August 2024, a meeting was held in the MINRESI conference room to explain the modus operandi of the Bantu Hubert-Curien Partnership. This meeting was convened by the Minister of Scientific Research and Innovation, Dr Madeleine TCHUINTE, and chaired by the Technical Advisor No. 2, Pr Eddy NGONKEU. The meeting aimed at raising awareness in institutes under MINRESI’s supervision, in response to the poor turnout during the first edition held in 2024. Therefore, focal points were appointed in the 8 institutes under the supervision of MINRESI. They are responsible for informing their colleagues about the PHC and encouraging them to attend the next edition in 2025 in their numbers.
One of the highlights of the meeting was a presentation by the Attaché for Scientific and University Cooperation at the French Embassy in Cameroon, Professor Stephanie Mailles VIARD. She detailed the presentation on the modus operandi as well as the objectives of the PHC Bantou. Her presentation then led to a discussion with the focal points, who were given the opportunity to obtain as much information as possible about PHC Bantou.
It should be noted that PHC is a French bilateral scientific mobility programme implemented and funded by the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs (MEAE), with the support of the Ministry of Higher Education and Research (MESR). The programme seeks to promote excellent scientific and technological cooperation between Cameroon and French laboratories, thereby fostering new forms of cooperation involving junior researchers.
The Minister of Scientific Research and Innovation, Dr. Madeleine TCHUINTE granted an audience to the Italian Ambassador in Cameroon, Fillipo SCAMMACCA DEL MURGO, on Wednesday, 28 August 2024. The diplomat came with an invitation from the Minister of Higher Education and Research, of the Republic of Italy, regarding Cameroon’s participation in the G7 Conference on Research and Training with African countries, which will be held in October.
This audience was equally the opportunity to review scientific cooperation between Cameroon and Italy. The Minister encouraged the mobility of researchers between the two countries through study visits and joint projects. The aim of this mobility is to enable Cameroon benefit from Italian expertise and creativity in various fields, including biotechnology, genetics and the processing of local materials such as marble for tile manufacture. This transfer of skills and experience promotes the development of scientific entrepreneurship, which is at the heart of MINRESI’s concerns under the motto ‘One researcher, one company’.
The Italian diplomat on his part praised the dynamism of Cameroonian researchers, highlighting that his country’s industrial structure, based on small and medium-sized enterprises, is well suited to set collaborations and equal partnerships with research structures based in Cameroon. Moreover, he expressed his country’s commitment to support Cameroon and other African countries in the production of medicines based on local resources. He also expressed Italy’s interest in agricultural research and research into zoonoses such as Mpox. The audience closed with a friendly exchange of courtesies.
Dr Madeleine TCHUINTE meets the 25 researchers who were awarded grants by the French Government during the Cameroon Science Week in France on 5 August 2024 at MINRESI’s conference room.
The Minister of Scientific Research and Innovation, Dr Madeleine TCHUINTE, chaired an important meeting on Monday 5 August 2024with the 25 researchers who received the mobility grants awarded by the French Government . In attendancewasMINRESI’s Secretary General, Pr EBELLE ETAME Rebecca Madeleine, the representative of the French Embassy, Madame Amel AHMED-BOUBOUDA, Directors General of Institutes under MINRESI’s technical supervision and Directors of the Ministry’s central administration.
Grant winnersendorsed by their hierarchy
This meeting was an occasion to commemorate the cooperation between Cameroon and France. During the Cameroon Science Week in France, led by the Minister, from 3 to 7 April 2023, 25 mobility grants were awarded by the French government to Cameroon researchers. Thanks to these grants the recipients were able to have access to prestigious French university laboratories, enabling them to complete their doctoral theses.
Following the launch of the call for applications, grantwinnerswere selected based oncriteria taking into account both the relevance of the research topics and gender approach. Based on the latter, 14 women and 11 men from 8 research institutes under MINRESI’s supervision were selected. By the end of the mobilityperiod, some had defended their doctoral theses and several were in the process of finalising them. Given all the facilities they had benefited from, the grant winners’spokespersons expressed their gratitude and appreciation to the Minister for her unwaveringinvolvement and commitment, which made it possible not only to award grants but also tocomplete the process.They also commended the generosity of France and the collaborative spirit of the French researchers, who had added value to their work.
An occasion to commemoratethe scientific cooperation between France and Cameroon
In her speech, the Minister set out the purpose of the meeting. The 25 recipients were gathered, after they returned, to be honoured for their efforts and the added value of their work. She expressed her satisfaction with the seriousness with which the recipients had conducted their work during their stay in France. Dr Madeleine TCHUINTE acknowledged the longstanding ties between Cameroon and France, extolled the cooperation between the two countries and expressed her sincere gratitude to the French Government, and to the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research in particular.
The representative of the French party, speaking on behalf of the French Ambassador to Cameroon, H.E. Thierry MARCHAND, expressed his admiration for the quality of work carried out by the 25 grant winners. He underscored that all these, strengthens Cameroon’s position as a true hub for research in Central Africa.
The meeting ended on a happy note, with some family pictures and one-to-one discussions between the Minister and each of the grant winners. Celebrations continued at the Ministry’s restaurant, where a cocktail was offered in honour of the recipients.
The IAEA held a regional workshop on radiological crime scene management at the Mont Febe Hotel from 8 to 12 July 2024.
The regional workshop on radiological crime scene management began on Monday 8 July 2024 at the Mont Febe Hotel. The Minister of Scientific Research and Innovation, Dr Madeleine TCHUINTE, who was unavoidably absent, was represented at the opening ceremony by the Secretary General of the same ministry, Prof. Rerbecca EBELLE ETAME. The 5 day workshop was organized by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in collaboration with the Government of Cameroon through the National Radiation Protection Agency (ANRP). Participants from four countries (Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo and Central African Republic) were enlightened on procedures and techniques to deal with crime scenes involving nuclear and radioactive materials.
These radiological crime scenes require specific procedures and operations, such as taking into account the time spent in the controlled zone, the distance between radionuclide-contaminated evidence, the experts who collect the evidence and their radiological protection etc. However, Cameroon and many other African countries do not have the expertise required for nuclear safety. As a result, they often turn to foreign experts. This was the case for Cameroon during the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.
Based on this observation, the workshop on radiological crime scene management was approved by the Government of Cameroon. In her opening address, the Secretary General of MINRESI noted that “the growing prevalence of terrorist acts, which spare no country in the world and which make use of sophisticated technologies, calls for great vigilance by security forces. It has been established that certain terrorist organizations can obtain radioactive or nuclear materials to manufacture radiological dispersal devices in order to spread radioactive contamination in a targeted area,which will result in human, material and environmental damage”.
Through this workshop, the IAEA, which is committed to helping States develop nuclear forensics, provided participants with technical tools to enable them intervene efficiently while dealing with radioactive materials.
On Thursday, 20 June 2024, the Minister of Scientific Research and Innovation organized academic and scientific tributes in honour of Professor TAGUEM FAH Gilbert L., Inspector General, who died on 18 May 2024 due to illness.
After the removal of corpse from the Yaounde General Hospital mortuary, Professor TAGUEM FAH Gilbert’s funeral was solemnized by a double ceremony with academic and scientific tributes.
A ceremony personally presided over by the Minister of Scientific Research and Innovation
The tribute ceremony, which took place at the esplanade of the annex building no. 1, was presided over by the Minister of Scientific Research and Innovation, Dr Madeleine TCHUINTE, accompanied by the Secretary General of the Ministry of the Environment, Protection of Nature and Sustainable Development (MINEPDED), ProfTCHAWA Paul and the Secretary General of MINRESI, Prof EBELLE ETAME Rebecca Madeleine. For the Minister of Scientific Research and Innovation, the ceremony was an opportunity to acknowledge the work accomplished at MINRESI by Professor TAGUEM FAH Gilbert, first in his capacity as Technical Advisor No. 2 (from 2016 to 2022) and then as Inspector General (from 2022 to 2024).
An array of guests attended the tribute ceremony, including officials from the Ministry of Higher Education, academics, heads of institutes supervised by MINRESI and the central administration, as well as representatives of the French Embassy in Cameroon and MINRESI partner structures. The entire National System for Research and Innovation gathered around the mortal remains of the Inspector General. His peers in the higher education and researchers, all draped in their robes, led the body in a harmonious choreography of majestic steps in a long procession to the esplanade of the annexe building no. 1. The procession was accompanied by cheers, despite the sadness and grief on everyone’s face.
Two phased ceremony
The ceremony proper had two phases: academic tributes, followed by scientific tributes. The first phase was led by lecturers from the University of Ngaoundere. Four speeches were made, by the Head of the History Department at the University of Ngaoundere, Prof MAMOUDOU BOUBA, two colleagues of the deceased, as well as the Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Letters and Social Sciences at the University of Ngaoundere, Prof Joseph NDINDA, in his capacity as representative of the Rector of the said university.
The second phase saw a scientific tribute by Dr ELE ABIAMA Patrice, Permanent Secretary of the National Committee for Technology Development (CNDT). He was followed by the Minister of Scientific Research and Innovation, Dr Madeleine TCHUINTE, who delivered a funeral oration full of revelations, anecdotes, testimonials and, above all, emotion. She pointed out that since his appointment as Inspector General of MINRESI, Professor TAGUEM FAH Gilbert, whom she called “Modibo Manga” (Grand Master of Knowledge in Fulfulde), “become one of the corner stones in MINRESI’s chain of competence”. Recalling the fateful 18 May 2024, the Minister of Scientific Research and Innovation asserted that “death has mercilessly deprived us of a competent and brilliant collaborator. A real blow to MINRESI”.
An emotional and solemn ceremony
Emotions reached its peak when the representative of the Rector of the University of Ngaoundere presented the deceased’s robe to the Minister of Scientific Research and Innovation, who in turn handed it to the deceased’s wife. Tears were visible on some faces, and it was with a heavy heart that the Minister of Scientific Research and Innovation bowed before the coffin of the man who, according to her, had all the qualities a boss could wish for in a collaborator.
Guests and dignitaries then paid their respects to the remains of the deceased in a solemn moment of mourning, accompanied by songs from the Choir, “La voix de la recherche”. The Inspector General’s mortal remains then left the MINRESI premises to a standing ovation from the researchers bidding him farewell.
Translated by Celtrad/MINRESI
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