By Walter Wilson Nana
The Information and Communication Technology University, ICT – U is now operational in Cameroon. The US-based institution has launched its Cameroon campus in Yaoundé, with a liaison office in Buea, Southwest Region.
Talking to some stakeholders in Buea, recently, the ICT-U Board Chair, Endowed Professor, Victor Wacham Mbarika said the ICT-U has come to Cameroon so that Cameroonians can use the ICT as an enabler in all disciplines, especially in the social sciences.
PhD students of ICT-U in one of their lecture sessions with Prof Enoh Tanjong (first from right)
According to Mbarika, the ICT-U has come to train scholars from economically developing nations, who will become knowledge creators and not just knowledge consumers. “The most important is the return on investment, learning with and from classmates. Our programmes accelerate strategic thinking abilities and allow students to take what they learn back to the work place,” he mentioned.
The Endowed Professor said students have the option to study onsite at the Yaoundé campus or online to obtain ICT University USA degrees. “Students will benefit from a great mix of Cameroon and US-based professors, who are experienced and knowledgeable in different socio-economic, cultural, academic and industrial backgrounds,” he noted.
Associate Professor of Journalism & Mass Communication, University of Buea, UB, Enoh Tanjong, member ICT-U Board said any nation that is not at the forefront of technology is bound not to be an emerging nation. “ICT is part and parcel of the human being. It is a hybrid of hands-on and e-learning training methods. That is the trend of today’s education,” he said.
Tanjong said ICT-U Cameroon is already making a lot of progress, with students coming from Mali.
The General Manager for Sales, WESTCON Africa, a second year PhD student with ICT-U, Augustine Ngongban said ICT is enriching him to do his job better and to transfer skills to other young Africans who need them for the growth of the continent. “The knowledge acquired so far at ICT-U is phenomenal. I am in a position to excel with ICT, especially at my work place, increase efficiency and productivity,” he added.
Julius Fombu another student of ICT-U and a staff of the Ministry of Secondary Education said he is studying ICT so as to make an impact in his community. “As an educationist, you must have the knowledge in what you are doing and my stay at ICT-U is making that possible. The knowledge acquired will help me train the younger generation,” he said.
From the Malian Ministry of Higher Education, Aïcha Walet Mohamed, PhD student of ICT-U said she is studying ICT to train the nomad students in Mali. “We’ve to teach them the kind of ICT to use, when and how. The nomads are always moving, so they need this particular training,” she noted.
Amongst the programmes offered in ICT-U Cameroon are; Top Up BSc in ICT, Accounting, Business Management and Sustainable Development and an International Masters in Business Administration and Sustainable Development, iMBA.
The ICT-U, which started two years ago, with the main campus in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA, is currently providing degree and certificate courses to over five thousand students across the world. The bulk of the students are in India.
The twenty-one board members also cut across the five continents of the world, with Prof. Sammy Beban Chumbow, Rector-Emeritus from Cameroon a member.
