Prof Anyangwe upholds feminine value
MINESUP Awards Certificate of Academic Excellence
Dschang SIC/UDs-10/04/17. The Minister of Higher Education, Chancellor of Academic Orders, Prof. Jacques Fame Ndongo awarded the prestigious Certificate of Feminine Excellence for 2017 to Prof Anyangwe Florence ANGABA, epse Fonteh of the Faculty of Agronomy and Agricultural Sciences (FASA) of the University of Dschang on the 1st of March 2017. This award is in line with governmental policies for the promotion and valorisation of feminine competence and excellent work in Cameroon in the field of Science. Prof Florence Fonteh recognized for her enormous contribution in academic excellence and her scientific expertise in Biology and Applied Biochemistry which led to her promotion to the grade of full Professor has over 42 publications, 3 books, 4 thesis, has supervised 24 agronomic engineers, 48 students in the Standards and Quality Control of Agricultural Products as well as 4 PhD thesis. She is a recipient of the Commonwealth scholarship at the University of Rieding in the UK, the German scholarship to study Development Oriented Research ICRA, Canadian Scholarship for training in administration of Distance Education, University of Guelph, Canada and has over 30 years of working experience at the University of Dschang. She is the pioneer coordinator of Professional Masters in Standards and Quality Control of Agricultural Products with 10 years of administrative service at the Distance Education of the University of Dschang. She is presently the Head of Department of Animal Production in the Faculty of Agronomy and Agricultural Sciences and is a consultant for FAO, JICA, CTA and ANAFE.
Excerpts of her interview:
What is the Certificate of Academic Excellence award?
Thank you very much; the certificate award is in relation to academic excellence of women in Higher education for the year 2017. It is a certificate of recognition for exceptional work done by a woman in Science in Cameroon. The reason for the award of such a certificate is because in a grade of full professor very few women have attained the apex of promotion in the country. In last year’s promotion (2016) out of 14 candidates promoted to the rank of full professor I was the only female. So the certificate is to distinguish women because they are always so very few when we talk about science.
How does it feel to have received this award?
I was surprised because I did not know nor heard of the award given to any woman. I was pleasantly surprised. It gives me a sense of fulfilment and appreciation from the Academic world in Cameroon. When you achieve something and someone recognises it, it’s fulfilling. This is the feeling I have after contributing to science in the field of biochemistry and Applied biology given the fact that I am a food scientist.
What advice do you have to the female staff in the academia?
I will like to encourage them. It is a tedious road but one should be focused, persevere and seek the help of God. Attaining such a level is time consuming as such women are to sacrifice since the society demands a lot from them since they are multi-tasking in nature. I encourage them to have stated goals alongside imbibing the spirit of hard work. It is my wish that more women can contribute enormously in the field of science so that world can recognise their efforts in building humanity.
Interviewed by RN
