Elvis Ngolle Ngolle
Encyclopedia
Elvis Ngolle Ngolle is a Cameroon
ian politician and a professor, currently serving in the government of Cameroon as Minister of Forestry and Wildlife. He has been a member of the government since 1997.
He is of Bakossi
origin.
He taught political science at the University of Denver
in the United States
from 1983 to 1985, and he subsequently taught at the University of Yaoundé
's International Relations Institute of Cameroon
(IRIC). He has been a resource person for the ruling Cameroon People's Democratic Movement
(RDPC) since the early 1990s. He participated in the 1990 tripartite talks and subsequently participated in talks between the RDPC and the main opposition Social Democratic Front (SDF).
, he defended President Paul Biya
at the Supreme Court and argued against the petitions filed by members of the opposition; all of those petitions were dismissed. Speaking to The Post in July 2006, after Biya called an extraordinary RDPC congress, Ngolle Ngolle said that, because the RDPC was the ruling party, the health of the RDPC was indicative of the health of Cameroon as a whole. He also stressed that "power is seen as something that has a moral substance" in the RDPC and that "when you are in power and managing people, you must show exemplary conduct". According to Ngolle Ngolle, Biya's re-election as RDPC National President at the congress was almost a foregone conclusion due to what he described as Biya's impressive achievements; he credited Biya with introducing multiparty democracy as well as working with the opposition and thereby facilitating dialogue between political parties.
After nearly nine years as Minister of Special Duties, Ngolle Ngolle was promoted to the position of Minister of Forestry and Wildlife on 22 September 2006.
As Minister of Forestry and Wildlife, Ngolle Ngolle worked to enforce anti-poaching laws and curb the illegal sale of bushmeat
. Although a law designed to protect endangered species from poaching was passed in 1994, it was not enforced until around 2004, and even afterward trade in illegal bushmeat remained quite widespread. Ngolle Ngolle complained in early 2010 that "we see people selling bushmeat everywhere, anywhere, in public places, along the roadsides. And it's more or less putting a shame on our dignity and our commitment to fight illegal poaching." At the same time, he discussed the introduction of a new government program to regulate the trade by allowing the sale of bushmeat only at specially designated places. At those places, bushmeat from relatively prolific species, such as cane rat
s, could be sold, but people selling meat from endangered species would be punished. Related government initiatives conducted by Ngolle Ngolle's ministry involved the recruitment of forest guards and providing bushmeat traders with work in the agricultural sector.
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
ian politician and a professor, currently serving in the government of Cameroon as Minister of Forestry and Wildlife. He has been a member of the government since 1997.
Teaching career and early political activities
Ngolle Ngolle was born in Kack, located in South West Province.He is of Bakossi
Bakossi people
The Koose people live on the western and eastern slopes of Mount Mwanenguba and Mount Kupe in the Bakossi Mountains of Cameroon...
origin.
He taught political science at the University of Denver
University of Denver
The University of Denver is currently ranked 82nd among all public and private "National Universities" by U.S. News & World Report in the 2012 rankings....
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
from 1983 to 1985, and he subsequently taught at the University of Yaoundé
University of Yaoundé
The University of Yaoundé is a leading university in Cameroon, located in Yaoundé.It was built with the help of France and opened in 1962 as the Federal University of Yaoundé, dropping the "Federal" in 1972 when the country was reorganized....
's International Relations Institute of Cameroon
International Relations Institute of Cameroon
The International Relations Institute of Cameroon is one of the five Institutions of the University of Yaoundé II; it was created by decree of President Ahmadou Ahidjo on 24 April 1971. The organization of studies at the IRIC was renovated in 1993. Up until then, the Institute essentially focused...
(IRIC). He has been a resource person for the ruling Cameroon People's Democratic Movement
Cameroon People's Democratic Movement
The Cameroon People's Democratic Movement is the ruling political party in Cameroon.-History:Previously known as the Cameroon National Union, which had dominated Cameroon politics since independence in 1960, it was renamed in 1985...
(RDPC) since the early 1990s. He participated in the 1990 tripartite talks and subsequently participated in talks between the RDPC and the main opposition Social Democratic Front (SDF).
Government service
Ngolle Ngolle was first appointed to the government as Minister of Special Duties at the Presidency of the Republic on 7 December 1997. Following the October 2004 presidential electionCameroonian presidential election, 2004
The 2004 Cameroonian presidential election took place in Cameroon on 11 October 2004. Incumbent President Paul Biya was easily re-elected in an election which the opposition claimed had seen widespread electoral fraud.-Background:...
, he defended President Paul Biya
Paul Biya
Paul Biya is a Cameroonian politician who has been the President of Cameroon since 6 November 1982. A native of Cameroon's south, Biya rose rapidly as a bureaucrat under President Ahmadou Ahidjo in the 1960s, serving as Secretary-General of the Presidency from 1968 to 1975 and then as Prime...
at the Supreme Court and argued against the petitions filed by members of the opposition; all of those petitions were dismissed. Speaking to The Post in July 2006, after Biya called an extraordinary RDPC congress, Ngolle Ngolle said that, because the RDPC was the ruling party, the health of the RDPC was indicative of the health of Cameroon as a whole. He also stressed that "power is seen as something that has a moral substance" in the RDPC and that "when you are in power and managing people, you must show exemplary conduct". According to Ngolle Ngolle, Biya's re-election as RDPC National President at the congress was almost a foregone conclusion due to what he described as Biya's impressive achievements; he credited Biya with introducing multiparty democracy as well as working with the opposition and thereby facilitating dialogue between political parties.
After nearly nine years as Minister of Special Duties, Ngolle Ngolle was promoted to the position of Minister of Forestry and Wildlife on 22 September 2006.
As Minister of Forestry and Wildlife, Ngolle Ngolle worked to enforce anti-poaching laws and curb the illegal sale of bushmeat
Bushmeat
Bushmeat initially referred to the hunting of wild animals in West and Central Africa and is a calque from the French viande de brousse. Today the term is commonly used for meat of terrestrial wild animals, killed for subsistence or commercial purposes throughout the humid tropics of the Americas,...
. Although a law designed to protect endangered species from poaching was passed in 1994, it was not enforced until around 2004, and even afterward trade in illegal bushmeat remained quite widespread. Ngolle Ngolle complained in early 2010 that "we see people selling bushmeat everywhere, anywhere, in public places, along the roadsides. And it's more or less putting a shame on our dignity and our commitment to fight illegal poaching." At the same time, he discussed the introduction of a new government program to regulate the trade by allowing the sale of bushmeat only at specially designated places. At those places, bushmeat from relatively prolific species, such as cane rat
Cane rat
The genus Thryonomys, also known as cane rats, grass cutters, or cutting grass, is a genus of rodent found throughout Africa south of the Sahara, the only members of the family Thyronomyidae. They are eaten in some African countries and are a pest species on many crops.-Characteristics:Cane rats...
s, could be sold, but people selling meat from endangered species would be punished. Related government initiatives conducted by Ngolle Ngolle's ministry involved the recruitment of forest guards and providing bushmeat traders with work in the agricultural sector.