Another SA- based Cameroonian scientist wins award for scientific research, ranks along with Einstein, Isaac Newton and Darwin
By Hans Ngala
CAPE TOWN – Another Cameroonian scientist has won an award for his trailblazing work in South Africa. Prof. Novel Chegou was recently recognized by the United Kingdom’s Royal Society – an annual award by the United Kingdom’s national science academy that recognises the innovative contribution of an African scientist “for his work in the fields of pulmonary and extrapulmonary tuberculosis, and his innovative project proposal”.
Chegou who got his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Buea, was also the best Honours student in the entire South Africa in 2005 and also received a Scientific Achievement Award (silver medal) from the South African Medical Research Council in 2019. It was the same category in which another Cameroonian scientist, Prof. Muki Shey recently received from the South African Medical Research Council and which CNA also reported about at the time.
Chegou whose recent award from the Royal Society –a Society that has had world-famous names such as Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin – as its members – had his MSc degree converted into a PhD in 2007 by Stellenbosch University where he now teaches and does research, because the University deemed the MSc as being good enough for a Doctoral-level thesis.
“Awards are not really at the top of your mind, but once you do receive an award like the Royal Society Africa Prize, it feels very good. It sends out a message that somebody out there sees what you are doing, and that they value what you are doing” said Chegou.
He added that “Almost all my work is geared towards developing some kind of prototype test for TB. Some of my projects are aimed at discovering biomarkers or evaluating biomarkers so they can be put into tools and used to diagnose TB or monitor the response to TB treatment”.
In his lab, Prof. Chegou uses a FLEXMAP 3D® System, the first of such machines in Africa to simultaneously measure up to 500 genes or proteins from a small sample.
Prof. Chegou’s recognition adds to the growing list of Cameroonian scientists who are at the top of their game in South Africa. His comes after that of Prof. Shey Muki, an immunologist at the University of Cape Town; as well as that of mathematician Prof. Abdon Atangana of the University of the Free State in South Africa as well.
Prof Chegou was born in, and grew up in Ajei village, in Ngie sub-division, Momo Division, of the North West Province. He attended GS Ajei, then secondary school in the then GSS Njikwa, before going for high school in GBHS Mbengwi and later went to the University of Buea where he graduated as the second-best student in the Faculty of Health Sciences.
He is passionate about training other young scientists and medical professionals and currently acts as supervisor to two Cameroonian medical doctors at Stellenbosch University.
