Profile: Prof. Evis Ngolle Ngolle

Elvis Ngolle Ngolle (born 14 April 1953) is a Cameroonian politician and a professor, who served in the government of Cameroon first as Minister for Special Duties at the Presidency of the Republic and later on as Minister of Forestry and Wildlife.

He has been a member of the government since 1997. Ngolle Ngolle was born in Kack in Kupe Muanenguba Division in the South West region of the country. He is of Bakossi origin.

He taught political science at the University of Denver in the US from 1983 to 1985, and he subsequently taught at the International Relations Institute (IRIC) at the University of Yaounde, Cameroon.

He has been a resource person for the ruling CPDM party of President Biya since the early 1990s. He took part in the 1990 tripartite talks and was a chartered member of the CPDM team that participated in talks with main opposition party the SDF at Mbankomo.

Ngolle Ngolle was first appointed to the government as Minister of Special Duties at the Presidency of the Republic on 7 December 1997. Speaking to The Post in July 2006, after Biya called an extraordinary RDPC congress, Ngolle Ngolle said that, because the RDPC was the ruling party, the health of the RDPC was indicative of the health of Cameroon as a whole.

He also stressed that "power is seen as something that has a moral substance" in the RDPC and that "when you are in power and managing people, you must show exemplary conduct".

According to Ngolle Ngolle, Biya's re-election as RDPC National President at the congress was almost a foregone conclusion due to what he described as Biya's impressive achievements; he credited Biya with introducing multiparty democracy as well as working with the opposition and thereby facilitating dialogue between political parties.

After nearly nine years as Minister of Special Duties, Ngolle Ngolle was promoted to the position of Minister of Forestry and Wildlife on 22nd September 2006.

As Minister of Forestry and Wildlife, Ngolle Ngolle worked to enforce anti-poaching laws and curb the illegal sale of bush meat. Although a law designed to protect endangered species from poaching was passed in 1994, it was not enforced until around 2004, and even afterward trade in illegal bushmeat remained quite widespread.

Ngolle Ngolle complained in early 2010 that "we see people selling bushmeat everywhere, anywhere, in public places, along the roadsides. And it's more or less putting a shame on our dignity and our commitment to fight illegal poaching."

At the same time, he discussed the introduction of a new government program to regulate the trade by allowing the sale of bushmeat only at specially designated places.

At those places, bushmeat from relatively prolific species, such as cane rats, could be sold, but people selling meat from endangered species would be punished.

Related government initiatives conducted by Ngolle Ngolle's ministry involved the recruitment of forest guards and providing bushmeat traders with work in the agricultural sector.

He was the leader of the moderate faction of the South West Elites Association (SWELA) who regularly challenged the issuing of anti North West press releases by SWELA.

In the words of Cameroon Concord’s Editor-in-Chief, “Ngolle Ngolle carries with him E.T.Egbe’s leadership shadow in today’s Cameroon”.