Pioneer Cameroonian scientific researcher, Prof Kamsu Kom, dies at 91.

Prof Kamsu Kom’s career was marked by a commitment to building institutions, mentoring talent, and advancing scientific knowledge.

After completing studies in France, where he earned a pharmacy degree in 1960, a Bachelor of Science, in 1962 and a Doctorate of Science in 1964, Prof Kamsu Kom started his scientific career at the National Centre for Scientific Research in France, where he rapidly rose through the ranks from research trainee to research officer. He later made a strategic decision to return to Africa to shape the future of chemistry and research.

While teaching at the Faculty of Science in Abidjan and then at the Federal University of Cameroon, Prof Kamsu Kom became the first Francophone Cameroonian full Professor of inorganic chemistry in 1969, and two years later he was appointed Dean of the Faculty of Sciences in Yaounde, the first Cameroonian to lead a university faculty.

Contributions to science, education

Prof Kamsu Kom’s influence extended far beyond the classroom. He founded the Laboratory of Inorganic Chemistry in Yaounde, producing the country’s first Doctor in the discipline, Léopold Fournes, who went on to a distinguished career in France. 

He also oversaw the creation of multiple research laboratories in Côte d’Ivoire and Cameroon. In Abidjan he trained the first Ivorian female Doctor of science in chemistry, Rosine Eholje, who is now a retired Professor.

Prof Kamsu Kom also initiated important educational reforms that strengthened Cameroonian science programmes. His introduction of the master’s thesis for professionalisation and the establishment of the Certificate in Biochemistry remain benchmarks in the national academic system.

In 1981, Prof Kamsu Kom founded Kamsu Kom’s Laboratory, a research and development hub that produced Pola-Gastral, the first Cameroonian medicine authorised for market release. Even in his later years, he continued innovating, securing a 2009 patent for two anti-anaemic and general tonic drugs.

National, international recognition

Prof Kamsu Kom’s achievements earned him honours both at home and abroad. As Honorary Dean of the Faculty of Sciences in Yaounde and former President of the National Order of Pharmacists of Cameroon, from 2000 to 2007, he influenced national policy and professional standards. 

Internationally, he received the Caducée d’Or from Mali’s National Order of Pharmacists in 2005 and held membership in multiple global scientific societies.

Prof Kamsu Kom will be remembered as a pioneer in several ways. The first Cameroonian doctor of science, the first Francophone full professor, the first Cameroonian Dean of a university faculty and the first Cameroonian pharmaceutical industrialist. 

Beyond the titles, Prof Kamsu Kom’s legacy also lies in the laboratories he built, the reforms he implemented, and the generations of scientists he inspired. 

Cameroon’s academic and pharmaceutical sectors bear the imprint of his vision and influence, which will continue to resonate for decades to come.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3561 of Thursday September 11, 2025