Under the High Patronage ofProf. Ngomo Horace Manga, Vice-Chancellor, University of Buea
University of Buea · 28–30 October 2026Humboldt Kolleg 2026
Advancing Climate and Ocean Research in Central Africa
Connecting German and Central African science for climate and ocean sustainability.
Humboldtian
Prof. Dr. Dieudonné Agbor
Convener / Conference Chair · University of Buea
About the Kolleg
A coupled system the world overlooks.
Central Africa sits at the heart of a coupled ecological system. The Congo Basin, the planet's second-largest tropical rainforest and a vital carbon sink, meets the Gulf of Guinea. Together they shape rainfall, carbon, biodiversity and livelihoods far beyond the region.
Yet the sub-region remains underrepresented in global climate and ocean research, held back by fragmented data, thin infrastructure, and a weak bridge between science and policy. This Kolleg convenes researchers, alumni, early-career scientists and policymakers to close that gap, and to leave behind a Central African Network on Climate and Ocean Research.
78
Researchers & partners
7
Central African nations + Germany
4
Thematic pillars
3
Days at the coast
Aligned with
- UN Decade of Ocean Science (2021–2030)
- The Paris Agreement
- African Union Blue Economy Strategy
- SDG 13: Climate Action
- SDG 14: Life Below Water
Why the University of Buea
Knowledge with Wisdom, where the mountain meets the sea.
No campus embodies this Kolleg's subject like Buea. Cradled between Mount Cameroon's rainforest and the Gulf of Guinea, the University of Buea places the climate and ocean story (vegetation, coast, mangrove and community) right outside the lecture hall. It is where the theme stops being abstract.
At the ocean's edge
Minutes from the Atlantic coast, estuaries and the mangroves of Limbe, a living laboratory for climate and ocean research.
In the shadow of Mount Cameroon
An active volcano and biodiversity hotspot, home to deep expertise in geohazards, ecology and environmental monitoring.
Green by nature and by name
Lush tropical vegetation surrounds the campus, the same green that anchors the Humboldt identity and this Kolleg.
A living Humboldt community
An active alumni network and transdisciplinary programmes make Buea a natural hub for South–South and North–South–South collaboration.
The Alexander von Humboldt Foundationsupported by
“We rise by lifting others.”
The Humboldt Foundation connects a worldwide family of researchers across borders and generations. Its philosophy is simple and demanding: progress is measured by who you lift with you. That means mentoring early-career scientists not only to succeed, but to belong.
This Kolleg is an alumni-led expression of that mission. It strengthens the Humboldt network in Central Africa, opens pathways to research in Germany, and builds collaborations that outlast the three days in Buea.
- Nurturing alumni-led initiatives with regional impact
- Supporting early-career researchers and research mobility
- Promoting Germany as a hub for international science
- Moving beyond representation to true inclusion
Four conference themes
Where the questions converge.
Three days
The programme.
Provisional agenda. Final session titles and times will be confirmed by the organising committee.
- 07:30–08:30break
Registration
ASTI Hall
- 09:00–09:10ceremony
Opening remarks by the Humboldt Kolleg Chair
Prof. Dr. Dieudonné Agbor · University of Buea · ASTI Hall
- 09:10–09:40ceremony
A word from the Humboldt Scientific Ambassador (on behalf of the Humboldt Foundation)
Prof. Dr. Gratien G. Atindogbé · Humboldt Scientific Ambassador
- 09:40–09:55ceremony
Speech from the German Ambassador to Cameroon
- 09:55–10:05ceremony
Welcome address by the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Buea
Prof. Dr. Ngomo Horace Manga · Vice-Chancellor, University of Buea
- 10:05–10:45
Keynote address
Prof. Dr. Samuel N. Ayonghe · University of Buea
- 10:45–11:30break
End of the Official Opening Ceremony · Group photograph · Press interview · Cocktail / coffee break
- 11:30–13:00plenary
Plenary 1: Climate Justice, Ocean Literacy, and Inclusive Community Resilience in the Face of Coastal Change
Chair: Prof. Dr. Tadmon Calvin · Rapporteur: Dr. Smith Babiaka · ASTI Hall
- 11:30–12:00
Keynote: ‘The Plastic Man’ — Global vs. local activist discourses on plastic pollution in Central Africa
PD Dr. Eric Habil Anchimbe · University of Bayreuth, Germany
- 12:00–12:30
The fate of plastics discharged by Cameroonian coastal cities: a numerical approach based on CROCO and OpenDrift models
Fernand Assene M. · ENSTMO-UBa, Kribi, Cameroun
- 12:30–13:00
Bioactive compounds from oceanic life forms: an insight to marine Africa
Alain Meli Lannang · University of Ngaoundéré
- 13:00–13:30
Recognition of complex dynamics using reservoir computing: theory and experimental implementations
Jimmi Hervé Talla Mbé · University of Dschang
- 13:30–15:00break
Lunch
- 15:00–17:30plenary
Plenary 2: Strengthening Ocean and Climate Governance Through Science, Innovation, and Regional Collaboration in Central Africa
Chair: Prof. Mama Foupouagnigni · Rapporteur: Dr. Kaah Menang Promise · ASTI Hall
- 15:00–15:30
Keynote: The Changing Oceans — Climate Variability, Extremes and Implications for Central Africa
Prof. Dr. Hyacinth C. Nnamchi · GEOMAR Kiel, Germany / University of Nigeria, Nsukka
- 15:30–16:00
Coastal subsurface characterization for earthquake and climate resilience of infrastructure: insights from Limbe, Gulf of Guinea, Cameroon
Agostiny Marrios Lontsi · University of Buea
- 16:00–16:30
Dynamique du niveau d’eau dans le bassin de Douala (estuaire du Wouri) : rôle de la constriction et implications pour le risque d’inondation côtière
William Dima · Institute of Agricultural Development, Kribi, Cameroon
- 16:30–17:00
Multi-source monitoring of coastal subsidence and sea level dynamics along the Cameroonian coast: integrating InSAR/PSI, satellite-derived bathymetry, and SWOT
Njutapvoui F. Nourdi · CRECC, IRGM / MINRESI, Cameroon
- 17:00–17:30break
Announcements / End of Day 1
- 18:00–20:00social
Humboldt Alumni networking & welcome dinner with all participants
Venue & practical info
Buea, where the mountain meets the sea.
The Kolleg is hosted at the University of Buea, at the foot of Mount Cameroon and a short drive from the Atlantic coast. Day 2 includes an excursion to Buea's historical sites, including the Reunification Monument and the city's German colonial landmarks. It is where the region's story comes alive.
- Host
- University of Buea
- City
- Buea, South-West Cameroon
- Dates
- 28–30 October 2026
- Excursion
- Historical sites of Buea (Day 2)
University of Buea
“Knowledge with Wisdom” · Buea, Cameroon
Hosted & supported by
Organised by the Humboldt Alumni Association of Cameroon (HAAC)
Get in touch
Questions about the Kolleg?
Reach the organising committee, hosted by the University of Buea in partnership with the Humboldt Alumni Association of Cameroon (HAAC).
Convener / Conference Chair · Prof. Dr. Dieudonné Agbor
