Lisette Ntonga: From university administration to continental parliament

Lisette Elomo Ntonga is set for continental assignment after her tall silhouette had become a familiar figure in top administrative dons in Yaounde’s two public universities in the past two decades.

Her recent appointment as Director of Cabinet to the President of the Pan-African Parliament did not surprise many people. Little doubt lingers as to her ability to help Speaker Roger Nkodo Dang establish his vision for the Pan-African institution.

Lisette Elomo Ntonga moves to the Pan-African Parliament seat in Midrand, South Africa, with a rich academic and administrative experience. As lecturer in the Faculty of Law and Political Science in the University of Yaoundé II, she dispensed knowledge on laws relating to persons and family to Level One Law students while holding the position of Secretary General since 2006 until her replacement on September 15, 2015.

She had occupied same duty post from October 30, 1998 to May 4 2000 before spending six years as Secretary General of the University of Yaoundé I from May 5, 200 to December 2006.

Lisette Elomo came into the limelight in University Governance at the Institute of International Relations of Cameroon (IRIC) where she held the post of Director from 1993 to October 1998 after serving as the institution’s Scribe from January 1991 to March 1993. She is remembered for having taken IRIC beyond its reputation for training diplomats to other fields of training by creating in 1995, such as Banking, Money, International Finance; International Communication, International Litigation and International Marketing.

Born in Yaoundé and hailing from the Soa in the Mefou and Afamba Division of the Centre Region, Lisette Elomo completed high school at the Lycee General Leclerc with a Baccalaureat in June 1972. Pursuing higher education in the University of Yaoundé, she obtained an undergraduate degree in Law (Licence en Droit) in 1976 and Master’s Degree (Doctorat de 3eme Cycle) in Private Law in 1976.

The mother of two holds several State distinctions such as Knight of the French Order of Merit, Knight of the Cameroonian Order of Valour and Officer of the Cameroonian Order of Valour.