Study in China: Penthouse Consulting celebrates 5th anniversary with 250 scholarships.

The results of the company created by Canada-based Cameroonian civil engineer, Raphaël Djomeni, were flagged at a dual ceremony which marked the Company's anniversary and the departure of students for the September intake.   

It should be noted that since its launch in 2019, the company has helped around 250 students obtain Chinese visas. The students came from seven African countries namely Cameroon, Nigeria, Gabon, Congo, Rwanda, Benin, and Coté d'Ivoire. The September 2024 batch includes 110 scholarship recipients. 

According to the company's top management, 90 of them boarded a flight to China on September 10, 2024 from the Douala International Airport. 

The boss of Penthouse Consulting Ltd, Raphaël Djomeni, reiterated that he "wants to allow these students, who do not have enough financial means, to attend the best universities in the world, while relieving their parents who cannot support them financially".

Another wave of students followed up by his company should also be joining their peers in China next week, after receiving their visas. As of this year, it was said that the scholarship holders will be welcomed in health sectors: medicine, nursing, pharmacy, amongst other disciplines 

"The reputation of most of the partner universities where Penthouse Consulting scholarship holders are enrolled goes beyond the borders of China. For example, Harbin Institute of Science and Technology, where 19 of its Master/MBA students are enrolled, is among the 150 best universities in the world," Djomeni added. 

With the motto “One student, one scholarship in 5 days”, Djomeni, who has been an international student in China, thought it wise to contribute to the educational development of his home country, Cameroon, by soliciting scholarships partnership with universities in China. 

This is to ensure that students who have gotten an education from these scholarships can either decide to come back home and transfer knowledge or work abroad. 

The idea was to facilitate entry for Cameroonian students but now, the vision has extended to other African countries. 

The agency's marketing agents said there are over 10,000 scholarships available for external students in their 21 partner universities in China. 

Since inception in 2019, some 92 Cameroonian students have flown to China thanks to Penthouse Consultancy. 

Massive increase from humble beginnings 

The first experience between Penthouse Consulting and its Chinese partners, in 2019, recorded a successful travel of seven Cameroonian students. 

Today they are counting 250 visas obtained. For the first quarter of the year, that is in March, some 57 students left Cameroon for China.

The agency's protégé, Florent Dorly Nkectchou, now known as Penthouse ambassador in Canada, shared his testimony via video conferencing. 
Nkectchou said he completed his Bachelor in Civil Engineering in 2023 and has just benefited from Penthouse Special Ambassador Programme, which granted him a scholarship for Canada. Nkectchou thanked the vision-bearer for seeing through success in life pursuits 

It was disclosed that a student who have maintained a good relationship with the agency through referrals, can become an ambassador and thus will as well benefit from the Penthouse Special ambassador programme. 

The programme offers grants opportunities for traveling to Canada or USA for work or study with visa processing support by penthouse consulting. 

Within five years, Penthouse Consultancy Limited now has branches in Douala, Yaoundé, Bafoussam, Buea and Ngaoundere. 

The management, thanked its staff for determination and consistency to the vision, noting that the increase in the number of scholarship holders reflects the dynamism of Penthouse Consulting.

This was justified by the mother of a laureate, Edith Ngamba from Eseka. She said at first contact, she thought it was or would be a scam, but seeing them handing the visa to her son, she can only be thankful for the help they provide to parents who don't have enough finances. 

Scholarships offered are from Bachelors, Masters and PhD programmes. They are both partial and fully funded programmes. 

Partially funded, the cost goes from 0-600,000 FCFA for Bachelor’s degree students. Masters and PhDs are fully funded with additional benefits of accommodations and free medical insurance. 

This article was first published in The Guardian Post issue N0:3231 of Monday September 16, 2024