Professor Jean-Emmanuel PONDI

Professor Jean-Emmanuel Pondi is a renowned Cameroonian academic, international relations expert, and passionate Pan-Africanist with over 35 years of professional experience. He currently serves as the Rector of the ICT University in Yaoundé, Cameroon, a role he assumed in 2022. His distinguished career in higher education includes previous positions as Vice-Rector of the Universities of Yaoundé I and II, Secretary-General of the University of Yaoundé I and II, and Director of the International Relations Institute of Cameroon (IRIC), where he also served as a permanent faculty member from 1986 to 2023.

Professor Pondi holds a PhD in Political Science (International Relations) from Pennsylvania State University (USA), an M.Phil. in International Relations from the University of Cambridge (UK), an MSc in Political Economy from the London School of Economics (UK), and a double Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Political Science from the State University of New York at Buffalo (USA). He also completed postdoctoral studies at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (USA).

Internationally, he has held teaching positions at prestigious institutions such as the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna, the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva, the Chinese Institute of International Relations in Beijing, the Diplomatic School of Madrid, and the University of Saint Joseph in Beirut, among others. He has collaborated with over 15 universities worldwide, taught students from 45 nationalities, and visited 53 countries.

Professor Pondi has authored or co-authored 25 books and published 85 academic articles. He has supervised 35 PhD dissertations and 122 Master’s theses and has delivered nearly 700 public lectures globally. His areas of expertise include conflict resolution in Africa, international relations theory, African integration dynamics, and the foreign policies of major global powers.

In recognition of his scholarly contributions, he has received numerous honors, including being named an Officer and later Commander in the French Order of Academic Palms, and an Officer and Knight of Cameroon’s National Order of Valour. He is also a member of the Cameroon Academy of Sciences, where he serves as Dean of the College of Social Sciences.

Professor Pondi is widely respected for his thought leadership, academic rigor, and lifelong commitment to advancing African scholarship and international dialogue.