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The sixth session of the COMECA Project Steering Committee was held on Friday, 14 June 2024 under the chairmanship of the Secretary General of MINRESI.

The sixth and final session of the Committee Steering the Co-creation project on innovative forest resource management, that combines ecological methods and indigenous knowledge (COMECA) was held on Friday, 14 June 2024 in MINRESI’s conference room. The meeting was chaired by the Secretary General of MINRESI, who represented the Minister, Dr Madeleine TCHUINTE, unfortunately unavailable. This meeting was also attended by the Secretary General of the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife (MINFOF), the Chargé de Mission of the Japanese Embassy, the Resident Representative of JICA in Cameroon and other members of the committee.

In her introductory remarks, Prof Rebecca Madeleine EBELLE ETAME thanked the Japanese side for all the multifaceted support that facilitated the smooth running of this project which began in July 2018. She reported that the expected results had largely been achieved, especially regarding the design of: a model to sustainably use wildlife; a system to produce and process Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) that would provide a source of income other than the bush meat trade; and finally a model to sustainably manage forest resources. This project has thus made it possible to propose alternatives to bush meat income through improving, producing, processing and marketing NTFPs. Thanks to this project, local communities in the Boumba Bek and Nki national parks (in the East region) have strengthened their capacities in producing and processing njansang kernels. In addition to these achievements directly linked to the project, the Japanese Cooperation has built a research station at Zoulabot, which will be handed over to the Institute of Agricultural Research for Development (IRAD).

As a reminder, the COMECA project is a continuation of the FOSAS project (Establishing Sustainable Livelihoods and Natural Resource Management Strategies in the Rainforest of Cameroon and Surrounding Areas) which was carried out between 2011 and 2016. It was implemented by the KYOTO University and IRAD. This project was funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) through the Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development Program. It was executed by MINRESI and implemented by IRAD in collaboration with several national partners such as MINFOF and the universities of Dschang, Yaounde I and Douala.

The aim of this COMECA project was to create conditions facilitating a close collaboration between people living alongside national parks (BoumbaBek and Nki) and the government, thus permitting them to make a living from products of their environment. In this line, it was necessary to develop innovative mechanisms that will help local people manage forest resources, in order to support them develop activities that would enable them benefit from forest products other than bushmeat.

After operating for 6 years, the project has come to an end. It is now timetoconceive mechanisms thatwould facilitate the monitoring and effective implementation of results obtained. To this end, a platformto ensure that residual activities are carried out in the interest of local population is envisaged.

Lastly, it was on a satisfying note that the Secretary General of MINRESI closed the meeting, requesting Japanese and Chinese parties’ representatives to develop new projects, likely to contribute even more effectively to the well-being of people.

©CelTrad/MINRESI

The Minister of Scientific Research and Innovation, Dr Madeleine TCHUINTE, granted an audience to the AUF Regional Director for Central Africa and the Great Lakes Region on 13 June 2024.

The Minister of Scientific Research and Innovation, Dr Madeleine TCHUINTE, granted an audience on Thursday 13 June 2024 to Professor Alain KIYINDOU, AUF Regional Director for Central Africa and the Great Lakes Region. Discussions focused on new avenues for collaboration and partnership between AUF and MINRESI through its supervised institutes. Consequently, the said institutes were convened for this meeting.

The heads of the Agricultural Research Institute for Development (IRAD), the Local Material Promotion Authority (MIPROMALO) and the National Committee for Technology Development (CNDT) reviewed their state of cooperation with AUF, and identified new activities and research areas that are worth exploring. Examples of such areas include artificial intelligence, agricultural digitisation and civil nuclear power.

The AUF Regional Director lauded the initiatives undertaken by MINRESI with a view to making Cameroon a hub for research and innovation in Central Africa. He however expressed the wish that these initiatives be carried out in collaboration with other countries in the Central African region so that the latter might benefit from Cameroon’s experience and expertise.

In addition to the above, he echoed the Minister’s concerns regarding the correlation between research and societal needs. It was pointed out that research is supposed to provide concrete solutions to society’s problems. This requires encouraging young researchers to create jobs, in line with the “one researcher, one company” slogan adopted by MINRESI. So the projects carried out jointly by MINRESI and AUF should have a tangible positive impact on the local people, who are expected to be the main beneficiaries of this research.

©CelTrad/MINRESI

The Minister of Scientific Research and Innovation, Dr Madeleine TCHUINTE, granted an audience to a CIRAD delegation led by its Regional Director for Central Africa.

On 29 May 2024, the Minister of Scientific Research and Innovation, Dr Madeleine TCHUINTE,  granted an audience to CIRAD’s Regional Director for Central Africa,  Dr Thierry LEROY. The latter attended the audience, together with Jean-Paul Laclau, Director of the Department for Performance of Tropical Production and Processing Systems, as well as Jean-Michel Harmand, an agroforestry researcher. Some of MINRESI’s close collaborators were also present, including the Director General of the Agricultural Research Institute for Development (IRAD).

Discussions revolved around identifying priority areas requiring CIRAD’s adequate and efficient support in the field of agricultural research in Cameroon.

The Minister stressed the need to implement the “one researcher, one company” slogan, urging CIRAD to support Cameroon researchers in making their research activities more professional. This implies that research findings should enable researchers to embark on scientific entrepreneurship by setting up businesses aimed at generating wealth for Cameroon’s development.

Training, maintenance, project development and monitoring feature prominently among Cameroon’s National Research and Innovation System (SNRI) and CIRAD’s priority areas of action. In the area of training, the Minister stressed the importance of supporting the 25 students granted annual scholarships as well as those who are part of the Hubert-Curien Partnership. These two scholarship programmes are a spin-off from the Cameroon Week of Science held in France from 3 to 7 April 2023.

Dr Thierry LEROY reiterated CIRAD’s unwavering commitment to supporting the Government through MINRESI and IRAD in order to enable Cameroon to ensure food security, which is a priority issue. He also announced the forthcoming celebration of CIRAD’s 40th anniversary and seized the opportunity to seek the support of MINRESI.

Discussions rounded off with both parties reasserting their willingness to work in genuine collaboration, and the hope that the existing partnership would continue to be as beneficial and fruitful as ever for Cameroon and France.

©CelTrad/MINRESI

A delegation from MINRESI guided IRD’s CEO on a tour of the future Environmental Biogeosciences Centre in the presence of the French Ambassador and AFD Representative in Cameroon.

Following instructions from the Minister, Dr Madeleine TCHUINTE, MINRESI’s delegation led IRD’s CEO, Dr Valérie VERDIER, to take a tour of the future Environmental Biogeosciences Centre (EBC) site on Friday 19 April 2024. They were accompanied by the French Ambassador, H.E Thierry MARCHAND, and AFD’s representative in Cameroon. It is important to note that the French delegation was impressed by the geographical location of the site, which is on the outskirts of Yaounde, next to IRAD and MIPROMALO in the Nkolbisson district. The futuristic building, which shall include laboratories, a conference room, lecture halls and reception facilities for foreign researchers, will emerge as part of an already existing research ecosystem.

According to the French Ambassador and IRD’s CEO, it will take three years to complete the building and equip it. The Biogeosciences Centre construction project is funded by C2D programme. It is therefore one of the projects that highlight the strength and vitality of France’s scientific partnership with Cameroon. Thanks to its strategic sub-regional location, the centre will contribute in making Cameroon a hub for research and innovation in Central Africa.

Translated by Celtrad/MINRESI