Cameroonian Woman Bags L’Oreal-UNESCO Distinction

Cameroonian Woman Bags L’Oreal-UNESCO Distinction

By Ntaryike Divine Jr. in Douala

31 March 2011

It requires nothing more than a casual probe to conclude that in Cameroon, women scientists number only about a handful in comparison to their male counterparts.  Their participation in hands-on science domains is generally obstructed via discriminatory selection processes, as well as an assortment of socio-traditional penchants suppressing their interest in the sciences from tender ages.

And so predictably, very few Cameroonian women succeed in bulldozing the barriers to access the science halls of fame.  Basically the bulk of those who dare wind up as classroom science teachers.  Observers however note a gradual trend shift with an emerging generation of women making tangible forays in the scientific research arena.

One of them is Justine Germo Nzweundji.  The 33-year-old doctoral student in plant biology at the University of Yaounde, and senior technician at the Institute of Medical Research and Study of Medicinal Plants currently basks in fame from long years of unwavering effort.  She is one of 15 women researchers [three from each continent,] awarded this year’s UNESCO- L’Oréal International Fellowships for Women in Science.

The recognition bagged last 2 March in Paris comes with a US$40,000 two-year funding parcel to enable her pursue research even beyond Cameroon. Justine’s work is hinged around the sustainable exploitation of the African cherry [Prunus aricana].  The bark of the wildly-growing tree common in Sub-Saharan Africa’s mountainous regions is used in the treatment of Benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH which is an enlargement of the prostrate generally affecting men aged over 50.

Environmentalists warn the tree may soon go extinct from overexploitation.  Major exporters of bark from which an extract is derived for BPH treatment include Cameroon, Madagascar, Equatorial Guinea, and Kenya.  Production of the extract stood at 6370-7225 kg per year in 2000.  PLANTECAM, previously the largest bark exporter in Africa has since closed its extraction factory in Cameroon, hinting that harvests were no longer sustainable.

And that is where Justine comes in.  Her research is developing techniques to propagate large quantities of disease-free clones of genetically uniform plant material that can be made available for commercial exploitation.  Her target is to obtain the best results for the conservation and mass distribution of plant embryos containing the highest concentration of the active components sought by the pharmaceutical industry.  She says these components could be produced in vitro as an alternative to harvesting the tree bark.

Justine intends on the back of success, to share her knowledge with local farmers, non-governmental organizations and investors both in Cameroon and beyond. She notes that it is very difficult to get the plant seeds to germinate and at the current harvesting rate, the existence of several species relying on the African cherry for survival is in doubt.  Justine is confident her work will not only check eroding biodiversity, but will also reduce poverty in rural areas.

Meantime, five other outstanding women, one from each continent won the 2011 L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Awards.  They were picked by a jury led by Prof Ahmed Zewail [1999 Nobel Prize in Chemistry] and each received US $100,000.  Flagged off by the French cosmetics company L’Oreal and UNESCO in 1998, the awards were in the 13^th edition this year and globally aim at celebrating women scientists from around the world who personify the promise of a better world. Over a thousand excelling women scientists have been recognized and supported in their work since the launch of the awards.