Richard Nyiawung graduated with his MA in Environmental Policy at the Environmental Policy Institute in 2018. He was born and raised in the coastal city of Limbe, Cameroon where he did his Primary education and later his Secondary and High school education at Our Lady Seat of Wisdom College, Fontem, Cameroon. He holds a Bachelor of Sciences degree in Agriculture (2014), from the University of Buea, Cameroon (‘The Place to be’). He has language competence in English, French and his native Nweh dialect.
Before joining EPI, he served as a field research staff for the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) – Cameroon, a member of the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). This gave him broader exposure and experiences working with several batches of interdisciplinary researchers on both national and international research projects.
Richard was privileged to be selected for the African Leaders of Tomorrow (ALT) scholarship 2016 cohorts to pursue a master’s degree in public policy related courses in Canada and of which Environmental Policy was the best option and place, based on the program’s structure and research areas. A scholarship that commemorates the late Nelson Mandela by the Government of Canada.
Under the supervision of Dr. Paul Foley and his committee members (Dr. Bruce Gilbert and Dr. Courtenay Parlee), he focused on “Examining Actors and Agents in New Environmental Governance Initiatives: Fishery Improvement Projects (FIPs) in Africa”. His research interest includes; the Political Economy of development agencies and programs, Fishery governance, Food security/Food Systems and the role of stakeholders in decision-making processes.
Amongst numerous activities and achievements, his research gave him the opportunity to be invited by the African Union -InterAfrican Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) for an expert consultative workshop on the formulation of a comprehensive rational management strategy for Inland fisheries and water bodies in Africa and presented his research at the 3rdWorld Small-Scale fisheries conference in Thailand (October 2018). He remains very grateful to CBIE, EPI-MUN, RPLC, AU-IBAR, and IPAC for all funding and professional support so far.