๐ ๐๐๐ฐ ๐๐๐ฐ๐ง ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐จ๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐จ๐จ๐ง: ๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ข๐๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฅ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ง ๐๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐๐ข๐ ๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฏ๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ฅ ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ก ๐๐ฑ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐
๐ฉ๐ ๐ฒ.๐ฒ. ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐๐
๐น๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ผ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฐ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ (๐น๐ผ๐ฐ)
In a landmark move that reaffirms Cameroonโs commitment to knowledge production, innovation, and global academic competitiveness, the President of the Republic, His Excellency Paul Biya, has granted his Very High Approval for the resumption of doctoral admissions in all State Universities. This decision, formalized in Press Release No. 26-00019/MINESUP/SG/IGS/IGA of 15 January 2028, marks a decisive turning point in the nationโs higher education landscape.
Issued by the Ministry of Higher Education (MINESUP), the communiquรฉ follows the Presidentโs high-level instructions of November 6, 2025, calling for the revival of doctoral programmes in public universities. It is also anchored in subsequent presidential directives transmitted through the Secretary General at the Presidency of the Republic on November 28, 2025. Together, these measures constitute a bold strategic intervention aimed at revitalizing advanced research training, strengthening national innovation capacity, and aligning academic production with Cameroonโs National Development Strategy (SND30).
๐๐๐ ๐๐จ๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐๐ฅ ๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐๐ ๐๐ญ๐๐ญ๐ ๐๐ง๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฌ
At the heart of this revival is the authorization to select six hundred (600) doctoral candidates for the 2025/2026 academic year across the countryโs eleven (11) State Universities. This initiative not only restores access to doctoral education but also introduces a more structured, transparent, and quality-driven framework for admissions.
The distribution of the quotas reflects careful consideration of institutional capacity and supervisory resources. Universities such as Maroua and Yaoundรฉ II have been allocated 75 slots each, while Bamenda, Buea, Douala, Dschang, Ngaoundรฉrรฉ, and Yaoundรฉ I each receive 60. Smaller but strategically significant institutions such as Bertoua, Ebolowa, and Garoua have been allotted 30 slots eachโensuring a more geographically inclusive approach to doctoral training.
๐๐๐ซ๐ข๐ญ, ๐๐ช๐ฎ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ, ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐
Admission into doctoral studies will be strictly by selection, reinforcing meritocracy and academic rigor. Candidates must hold a Research Masterโs degree or its equivalent in fundamental or applied studies, with professional and technological Masterโs degrees explicitly excluded.
A minimum academic threshold of 12/20 (or C+) has been set, which cannot be loweredโthough it may be raised depending on program-specific demands and capacity. In a commendable move toward inclusive excellence, the communiquรฉ also allows for exceptional consideration of outstanding academic records, gender balance, and the integration of persons living with disabilities.
Another significant reform is the regulation of supervision loads. From this cohort onward, a supervisor may oversee a maximum of three Cameroonian doctoral students at a time, ensuring more effective mentorship and quality control. Additionally, up to two non-national students may be supervised per academic, outside the national quota.
๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐จ๐ซ๐๐ข๐ง๐๐ญ๐๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฌ
The national coordination of this ambitious initiative will be handled by the National Commission for Doctoral Training, operating under the authority of the Minister of Higher Education. This body brings together all heads of State Universities and relevant sectoral representatives, with a mandate to regulate admissions, ensure quality assurance, and, where possible, facilitate research support.
University heads are required to publish calls for applications by January 23, 2026, with internal selections concluding by February 16, 2026. Final lists will undergo a multi-level validation process involving the Conference of Heads of University Institutions (CONCIU) and MINESUPโensuring transparency, accountability, and national coherence.
๐ ๐ข๐ง๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ญ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฉ๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐ข๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ
Each selected student will pay a modest annual fee of 50,000 FCFA (with exemptions for certain international categories), while supervision and thesis defense costs will be borne by the universities themselves. This reflects a strong institutional commitment to research development and student support.
๐๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐จ๐จ๐งโ๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐จ๐ฐ๐ฅ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐จ๐ง๐จ๐ฆ๐ฒ
This decision is not merely administrative; it is deeply symbolic. It signals a renewed national faith in scholarship, critical inquiry, and the transformative power of research. In a world increasingly shaped by ideas, data, and innovation, Cameroonโs reinvestment in doctoral education is both timely and visionary.
At Riverview University Institute (RUI), we view this development as a clarion call for collaboration, mentorship, and research-driven leadership. A nation that invests in its thinkers invests in its future.
This revival of doctoral training must now be matched by robust funding, international partnerships, and a culture of academic integrity. If properly implemented, this initiative could usher in a new generation of Cameroonian scholarsโequipped not just to interpret the world, but to change it.
๐ญ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ช๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฒ.๐ฒ. ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐น๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ผ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฐ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ (๐น๐ผ๐ฐ).
