Paul-Gérard POUGOUE, Overview of an exceptional scholar's career
Professor Paul-Gérard POUGOUE was born on March 08, 1949 in Bakou in the West Cameroon region.
Academic career
After his baccalaureate, he entered the Faculty of Law and Economics at the University of Yaoundé, where he obtained a Licence (04-year degree) in Law and Economics, majoring in Private Law, with honors. He continued his studies at the University of Bordeaux 1 in France, where he obtained the Diplôme d'Etudes Supérieures en Droit Privé, mention Assez Bien, the Diplôme d'Etudes Supérieures en Droit Criminelles, mention Assez Bien, and the Doctorat d'Etat en Droit Privé et Sciences Criminelles.
Appointed to the teaching staff of higher education establishments in August 1977, he has taught and lectured extensively in several universities and institutes of higher education in Cameroon, Africa, France and America, in various fields of law: law of persons, family law, land and property law, law of obligations, property law, customs law, banking law, insurance law, labor and social security law, private judicial law, arbitration law, enforcement, private international law, international trade law, legal theory and anthropology, legal epistemology.
In his long career as a teacher, he has concentrated much of his energy on supervising theses, preparing for the habilitation to direct research, and preparing for the agrégation competitive examination, particularly within the framework of the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF) and the Institut pour le Développement de l'Enseignement Supérieur Francophone (IDESUF) in Bordeaux.
Synopsis of his research activities
At the same time, he is active in research. He contributes to numerous scientific meetings. He is the author of numerous publications. He has a strong sense of shared effort and teamwork:
- he designed and coordinated the Encyclopédie du Droit OHADA, and, with his colleagues ISSA-SAYEGH Joseph and SAWADOGO Michel Filiga, directed the code vert and the collection verte du droit OHADA under the aegis of Juriscope de Poitiers,
- as a member of the scientific advisory board, he has created or edited several legal journals, notably Juridis Périodique in Yaoundé, Annales de la Faculté des Sciences Juridiques et Politiques de l'Université de Dschang, Cahier Africain des droits de l'homme de l'Association pour la Promotion des Droits de l'Homme en Afrique Centrale (Université Catholique d'Afrique centrale / Institut catholique de Yaoundé), the journal of the Ecole Régionale Supérieure de Magistrature (ERSUMA), the Revue de Droit Comparé du Travail et de la Sécurité Sociale of the Centre de droit comparé du travail et de la sécurité sociale (COMPTRA-SEC) of Bordeaux, UMR/CNRS 5114, the Revue Camerounaise de Management of the Ecole Supérieure des Sciences Economiques et Commerciales (ESSEC) of the University of Douala, Cahiers Juridiques et Politiques, Faculty of Legal and Political Sciences, University of N'Gaoundéré, Revue Africaine des Sciences Juridiques et Politiques, Faculty of Legal and Political Sciences, University of Yaoundé II.
Involvement in international scientific bodies
Because of his rich experience as a teacher-researcher, he is called :
- to head several agrégation juries of the Conseil Africain et Malgache pour l'Enseignement Supérieur (CAMES), section Droit Privé et Sciences Criminelles ;
- sits on the decision-making bodies of international institutions including the AUF (1993-2001), the Maison des Sciences de l'Homme d'Aquitaine (2001-2010), the Institut pour le développement de l'Enseignement Supérieur Francophone, the Council of the Organisation Internationale des Palmes Académiques (OIPA) of CAMES, the Catholic University of Central Africa (1991 - 2004), and the Institut International des Assurances de Yaoundé;
- to be general rapporteur of the XVIIth World Congress on Labour and Social Security Law, Uruguay, September 3-5, 2003;
- to be patron of the 5th promotion (2004) of the general training course in Human Rights under the scientific coordination of the UNESCO Chair in Human Rights and Democracy, University of Abomey-Calavi, Republic of Benin;
- to present a course on “Arbitration practice at the Organization for the Harmonization of Business Law in Africa” at The Hague Academy of International Law, summer 2015.
Since 2009, he has been a member of the ILO Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations.
Participation in school and university administration
At the same time, throughout his career, the Professor is involved in school and university administration:
- 1978-1979, 1st Secretary General of the Centre Universitaire de Douala, now the University of Douala;
- 1979-1984, 1st Deputy Director of Studies at ESSEC, Douala;
- 1989-1993, last Dean of the Faculty of Economics at the former University of Yaoundé;
- 1993-1996, Technical Advisor at the University of Dschang ;
- 1996-1999, Dean of the Faculty of Legal and Political Sciences at the University of Dschang;
- 1998-2012, Vice-Rector of the University of Yaoundé II ;
- 2012-2012, Vice-rector of the University of Dschang ;
- Since 2010, Head of the Department of Legal Theory, Legal Epistemology and Comparative Law at the Faculty of Legal and Political Sciences, University of Yaoundé II;
- Since September 2012, Secretary General of the Ministry of Secondary Education of Cameroon.
An International Consultant...
A teacher, researcher and administrator, Professor POUGOUE is also an active player in the world of law as a consultant, expert and arbitrator.
He conducts numerous consultations and evaluation or legal drafting missions on behalf of the UNDP, ILO, World Bank, Central Bank of Central African States (BCEAC), Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC), International Lawyers and Economists Against Poverty (ILEAP) in Toronto, French Cooperation, The Investment Climate Facility for Africa (ICF), the Canadian-Cameroonian Cooperation, the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), the Fondation pour le Droit Continental in Paris, the Cameroonian State, the Groupement Inter-Patronal du Cameroun (GICAM), companies, the Centre Régional Africain d'Administration du Travail (CRADAT), the Organisation pour l'Harmonisation en Afrique du Droit des Affaires (OHADA).
l participates in numerous national arbitrations (ad doc arbitration, GICAM arbitration) and international arbitrations (Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris).
He is a member of the following learned societies:
- International Society for Labor Law and Social Security;
- International Foundation for the Teaching of Business Law;
- Henri Capitant Association;
- Comparative Law Legislation Society.
Some honorary distinctions
He received several honorary distinctions:
- Grand Officer of the Order of Valor (Cameroon);
- Commander of the Order of Valor (Cameroon);
- Officer of the Order of Valor (Cameroon);
- Knight of the Order of Valor (Cameroon);
- Officer of the Order of Valor (Cameroon);
- Officer of the National Order of the Republic of Benin;
- Commander of the Academic Palms of the International Organization of Academic Palms (OIPA) of the African and Malagasy Council for Higher Education (CAMES);
- Officer of the Academic Palms of OSPA/CAMES;
- Medal of Honor for Labor in vermeil, silver, gold (Cameroon);
- Honorary Diploma from the African Business Law Organization (OHADA).
- Excerpt Biography, L'obligation: Studies offered to Professor Paul-Gérard POUGOUE; ANOUKAHA, François; OLINGA, Alain Didier; Paris ; Harmattan; 2015.