What You Need to Know about Ta Nformi Dr. Christopher Fomunyoh: The Guardian Post Man of The Year 2015

By Mokon Njouny Nelson

Ta Nformi Dr. Christopher Fomunyoh

Born in Guzang – Batibo, Momo Division, North West Cameroon, Dr. Christopher Fomunyoh is the founder and president of The Fomunyoh Foundation (www.tffcam.org), a non-profit organization that works to promote democracy, social and humanitarian causes in Cameroon. Since its launch in 1999, the Foundation organizes workshops to raise citizen awareness and strengthen the capacity of civil society organizations and journalists.

The Foundation has also conducted activities in partnership with development associations such as the women of Bonadale, Douala in the Littoral region, and the traditional Fondom of Foto-Dschang in the Western region. It has donated books to many municipal councils and academic institutions in eight out of Cameroon ten (10) Regions. The North West Region, Maroua in the Far North, Mayo Oulou still in the Far North, Garoua in the North and Ngoundere in the Adamawa as well as in the capital city of Yaounde, in the Center Region. The East Region has also benefited from this largess; three secondary schools in Bertoua, the Bertoua Linguistic Center as well as the Catholic University of Bertoua. Two schools in Abong Mbang have also been beneficiaries. In the Center Region, four academic institutions in the city of Yaounde, the nations’ capital and have been sponsoring Youth activities in Monatele and Monabo in the Likie Division of the Center Regions. The Foundation also runs a community radio station in Bamenda and a public library of over 20,000 books.

Besides the donation of such academic treasures, the Foundation has also been very concerned with the less privileged. To this effect, in has made donations to orphanages and widow organizations in Maroua in the Far North, Bertoua in the East and Guzang in the North West Region. 

On the international scene, Dr. Christopher Fomunyoh is currently senior associate and regional director for Central and West Africa at the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI). He has organized and advised international election observation missions to Benin, Cameroon, Central Africa Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Madagascar, Mali, Nigeria and Sierra Leone.

He has also designed and supervised country specific democracy support programs with civic organizations, political parties and legislative bodies in Benin, Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Conakry, Liberia, Mali, Madagascar, Niger, Nigeria, The Gambia, Senegal and Togo. 

In the course of his work, Dr. Fomunyoh interacts regularly with heads of state and government, cabinet ministers, elected officials and political and 

civic leaders. He recently designed and helped launch the African Statesmen Initiative (ASI), a program aimed at facilitating political transitions in Africa by encouraging former Heads of State to stay engaged in humanitarian issues, conflict mediation, public health and other key sectors of human development on the continent. On several occasions, Dr. Fomunyoh has testified on African issues before various committees of the United States Congress.

As an expert on democratization in Africa, Dr. Fomunyoh makes frequently guest appearances on major media networks including CNN, BBC, NewsHour, Voice of America, and Radio France Internationale; and provides interviews for major national and international newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Washington Post, Washington Times, Le Monde and International Herald Tribune. He has published articles in academic journals on African politics and governance. 

Dr. Fomunyoh has traveled extensively in Africa, Europe and North America, and is perfectly bilingual in English and French. He holds a Licence en Droit from Yaoundé University in Cameroon, a Master’s Degree (LL.M.) in International Law from Harvard Law School; and a Ph.D. in Political Science from Boston University. Dr. Fomunyoh is an adjunct faculty at the African Center for Strategic Studies and a former adjunct professor of African Politics and Government at Georgetown University. 

This is in brief is the man, Dr Christopher Fomunyoh, The 2015 Guardian Post Man of the Year.

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