Dr David Makongo: CENPA honours the unsung community empowerment icon.

However, the impact of the United States-based Cameroonian legal consultant, entrepreneur and philanthropist to the growth of his community didn’t escape the vigilance of the Cameroon English Language Newspaper Publishers Association, CENPA.

Dr Makongo was recently honoured by CENPA, for his years of humanitarian and community empowerment initiatives that have provided food, shelter, healthcare assistance, education and other support to vulnerable people across Cameroon.

He was singled out at the 2026 annual awards of CENPA in Douala, where he received the Nation-Builder Champion Award.

The recognition celebrated his leadership, youth motivation and civic engagement, particularly his efforts towards building stronger and more self-reliant communities in the North West and South West Regions. 

Behind the award is a string of humanitarian interventions, carried out largely through the Makongo Family Charity, MAFAC. 

They range from emergency assistance to lnternally Displaced Persons, IDPs, and struggling families to medical assistance, scholarships, food donations and the provision of potable water. 

His humanitarian activities have also reached detainees, orphans, refugees and families caught in the ongoing crisis in Cameroon’s English-speaking Regions.

The CENPA recognition of the Buea-born philanthropist brings into the spotlight a humanitarian journey that has largely unfolded away from public attention.

Relentless support to community

Dr Makongo, who sits atop the Afro-American Consortium, an organisation involved in energy, oil and gas initiatives, has over the years channelled part of his resources into community support through MAFAC. 

Born of humble parentage in Buea, his journey has taken him into international business and the legal profession.

However, his humanitarian activities have kept him connected to communities back home.

One of the charity’s interventions followed devastating floods and landslides that struck Buea and his native Bova, in March 2023. Dr Makongo and the MAFAC team provided FCFA 1 million in emergency relief to assist displaced victims and affected families. 

MAFAC has also distributed food, including plantains harvested from a dedicated community plantation and palm oil, alongside direct financial assistance to families hosting IDPs in Fako.

The organisation has equally coordinated food drives and the distribution of basic necessities to inmates. It has also provided scholarships to underprivileged or academically promising university students of Bakweri origin within the Bonavada area of Buea Subdivision. 

MAFAC’s humanitarian reach has extended beyond Buea, with the organisation donating food and other basic items to detainees at the Kondengui Maximum Security Prison in Yaounde. 

The charity organisation has also provided clean drinking water to the local population of about 2,500 people in Victoria, while another intervention provided food assistance to 324 IDPs in the Northern Region.

Beyond Cameroon’s borders, MAFAC has reached Cameroonian refugees in Nigeria, providing desks, food and a canopy for children affected by the Anglophone crisis.

The organisation has also provided financial support to other humanitarian initiatives, notably a FCFA 1 million donation to The Ayah Foundation.

Standing with victims of crisis

Some of Dr Makongo’s most direct interventions have targeted families caught in the continuing crisis in the North West and South West Regions. 

Victims caught in fighting involving separatist fighters and government forces around the Mbengwi road lost houses and commercial motorcycles which had served as sources of livelihood. 

Dr Makongo stepped in with assistance, sending money for clothes and food and helping them secure alternative accommodation. 

Speaking to the affected families, he urged them to be thankful for life, despite their material losses and assured them that they would not face their difficulties alone.

“As long as you are alive, you will always have a place to stay. This is your home; you are welcome to stay as long as you want. Together we will succeed if we work together. Even if we have nothing today, we have ourselves,” Dr Makongo told them. 

Another intervention targeted an internally displaced mother of triplets, with MAFAC providing baby supplies to help her care for the children. 

The organisation equally rescued five children; including a set of twins, and their single mother in Tole, Buea, after the family struggled with lack of food. 

Other interventions have involved mobilising and housing orphans and organising community outreach activities for underprivileged children, particularly during the Christmas period. 

The sick not left out

Through MAFAC, Dr Makongo has extended his humanitarian efforts to healthcare by donating and mobilising assistance for sick patients, including those battling serious illnesses like cancer. 

MAFAC mobilised financial support for a woman requiring surgery on her hand. After an initial amount was reportedly insufficient for the operation, the organisation increased the support to $1,000, (about FCFA 576,815), which enabled doctors to schedule the surgery.

In another case, the charity provided emergency medical assistance to a sick child in Bamenda. The organisation’s healthcare activities have also included the donation of medical equipment to regional hospitals as part of efforts to improve access to healthcare. 

Beneficiaries hail helping hand

Dr Makongo’s timely humanitarian interventions have consistently delivered critical lifeline support, including food, housing, medical aid, and resettlement assistance, earning deep gratitude from beneficiaries. One beneficiary noted that Dr Makongo remembered them when they needed help most.

“Thank you for remembering us at a time when we had almost lost hope. God sent you to stand with us in this difficult moment. May God continue to bless you for what you are doing for families like ours,” the beneficiary said.

Trailblazing multifaceted personality

Beyond his philanthropic works, Dr David Makongo has built a career spanning law, mining, energy, business consultancy and natural resources management, with professional engagements in Cameroon, Guinea and the United States.

An internationally experienced business, mining lawyer and mediator, Dr Makongo specialises in natural resources, environmental law and policy, mining, oil and gas, and the negotiation of natural resource agreements. 

His academic credentials include a Master of Laws in these fields and an Honorary Doctorate of Philosophy in Humanities. 

He also received the Highest Academic Award in Negotiations of Natural Resources Agreements, from the University of Denver’s Sturm College of Law.

His professional career has seen him occupy several positions in the natural resources and energy sectors. He has served as Legal Adviser at the Cameroon Petroleum Depots Company, SCDP; Director for African Affairs at Electrum USA Ltd; and Founding Partner of the Afro-American Consortium, AAC-3.

For more than a decade, Dr Makongo has also led Makongo & African Partners Limited, providing expertise on mining, oil and gas projects. 

His works have covered legal advisory services, contract negotiations, feasibility studies, risk analysis, anti-corruption training, community liaison, as well as environmental and social impact assessments.

His experience extends to the Republic of Guinea, where he serves as Chairman of the Board of Fako Mining & Management, FAKOMM LLC, a multinational service consultancy. 

His professional engagements have covered projects and transactions in energy, infrastructure, metals, mining, oil and gas.

The combination of legal training, natural resources expertise, business leadership and community engagement has shaped Dr Makongo’s multifaceted career. 

Alongside his professional work, he channels resources into humanitarian and empowerment initiatives through the Makongo Family Charity (MAFAC), supporting vulnerable communities back home.

As a visionary in law, a catalyst for sustainable business growth and a driving force for positive change, Dr Makongo's journey is a testament to the transformative potential of dedication, expertise and compassion. 

Through his unceasing efforts, he illuminates a path for generations to come, inspiring progress, unity and enduring impact across the African continent and beyond.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3924 of Tuesday September 29, 2026