After ten years marked by delay, doubt and determination, Ngong Peter Tonain has emerged with one of academia’s highest honours. On Friday,
February 13, 2026, the visually impaired researcher successfully defended his doctoral thesis and was awarded a PhD in Sociology and Anthropology at the Faculty of Social and Management Sciences.
The defence took place in the faculty boardroom before a panel of senior academics. For more than two hours, the jury examined his research, questioned his methodology and assessed his findings. At the end of the session, the panel approved the thesis, sealing a journey that began a decade ago.
For Dr Ngong, the moment was both emotional and symbolic.
“My PhD manuscript went missing in 2019 and was only traced in 2023,” he revealed. “Those were painful years. I questioned everything. But I decided that quitting would erase all the effort I had invested. I chose to keep going.”
The recovery of the missing work gave him a second chance. With renewed focus, he worked closely with his supervisor, Professor Yenshu Emmanuel, to refine and strengthen the study.
“My supervisor believed in me when it was difficult to believe in myself,” Dr Ngong said. “His steady support and guidance kept me on track. This success is the result of teamwork and persistence.”
His thesis examined University Social Responsibility Intervention within Host Communities in the North West and South West Regions of Cameroon. The study assessed how universities engage with and support the communities that host them.
According to his findings, institutions such as the University of Buea and the University of Bamenda provide tangible services to nearby communities. These include subsidised health care, piped-borne water supply, research outreach and community-orientated educational initiatives.
“Universities are not only centres of learning,” Dr Ngong explained. “They also shape the social and economic life of their surroundings. Where they invest in people, the impact is visible.”
Yet his research also uncovered structural weaknesses.
“Many interventions are reactive rather than strategic,” he observed. “There is no comprehensive policy guiding university social responsibility in most cases. Community members are rarely involved in planning, and some projects fade because they lack long-term funding.”
He recommended that universities institutionalise social responsibility frameworks, allocate dedicated funding, and establish formal platforms for ongoing dialogue with host communities.
“Universities must embed social responsibility into their core mission,” he stressed. “Sustainable engagement requires planning, transparency and shared ownership.”
Professor Yenshu Emmanuel described the thesis as both rigorous and relevant.
“This work reminds our institutions that academic excellence must go hand in hand with community accountability,” he said. “Dr Ngong has demonstrated resilience, discipline and intellectual maturity throughout this process.”
The defence panel was chaired by Professor Endeley Magarette, Dean of the Faculty of Education. Other members included Professor Patrick Fonyuy Shey as Internal Reviewer, Professor Chaffi Cyrille Ivan as External Reviewer, Professor Akoko Robert Mbe as member, and Professor Yenshu Emmanuel as Supervisor.
With the award of his doctorate, Dr Ngong becomes the first visually impaired scholar from the Faculty of Social and Management Sciences to attain a PhD in Sociology and Anthropology.
His achievement sends a clear message. Determination can outlast delay. Vision is not limited to sight. And excellence belongs to those who refuse to surrender their dreams.
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