The expertise the Cameroonian diaspora has built in the UK is not lost to Cameroon — it is one of the country's greatest untapped resources. CAMNEST-UK exists to tap it.
CAMNEST-UK began in 2018, when a group of Cameroonian engineers and researchers met after a lecture at a London university and kept talking long after the room emptied. The conversation kept returning to the same frustration: each of them was regularly asked for advice, contacts and technical help by colleagues and family in Cameroon — and each was improvising alone.
The founding group's answer was to stop improvising. Within a year, the network was formally constituted as a not-for-profit membership organisation, held its first technical workshop in London, and adopted the model that still defines us: structured knowledge transfer, delivered by volunteers, measured honestly.
The COVID-19 years, paradoxically, accelerated the mission. Forced online, our workshops suddenly reached members in Glasgow and students in Garoua at the same time — and the experience of teaching across four thousand miles directly inspired the cloud learning platforms we operate today. The first Pilot Engineering Scheme broke ground in 2021; the mentorship programme followed a year later.
To mobilise the engineering, scientific and technological expertise of the Cameroonian diaspora in the United Kingdom — advancing the careers of our members, strengthening STEM education and capability in Cameroon, and building enduring professional bridges between the two countries.
A future in which every talented Cameroonian student can access world-class engineering knowledge regardless of geography, and in which the diaspora is recognised — at home and abroad — as an engine of scientific and economic development.
We publish our results, including the projects that underperformed. Trust is the only currency a volunteer network has.
Everything we deliver in Cameroon is co-designed with local institutions and owned by them after handover.
A 12 kW micro-grid deserves the same engineering rigour as a national grid. Small never means casual.
Elected by the membership at the Annual General Meeting, our committee serves two-year terms — entirely as volunteers.
Chartered civil engineer with 18 years in UK infrastructure delivery, including major rail and highways programmes. Leads the network's strategy and institutional partnerships.
Senior lecturer in renewable energy systems. Oversees the pilot engineering schemes and chairs the technical committee that reviews every project proposal.
Cloud infrastructure architect in the financial services sector. Built and operates the cloud learning platforms with a volunteer engineering team.
Chartered mechanical engineer and accredited coach. Designed the mentorship framework and leads matching, training and member care.
Finance director with a doctorate in chemical engineering. Keeps the accounts transparent and ensures every pound of membership income is traceable to delivery.
Science communicator and former broadcast journalist. Runs the events calendar, the blog and the network's relationships with media and community groups.
Every member adds a chapter — a workshop taught, a mentee guided, a community powered. Add yours.
