By Gallo Diop, MD
Seven new neurology professors and four psychiatry professors in Africa were chosen by juries from French-speaking universities. Photo by Gallo Diop, MD.
From Nov. 7 to 15, 2016, the 18th biannual African contest for selecting new university professors was organized in Dakar, Senegal. After a tough competition, the assistant professors are upgraded to the grade of professor by different juries whose members come from all French-speaking universities and, depending on the needs, from other countries such as Belgium, France, and Canada. All the Francophone universities of the African Council for Higher Education (www.lecames.org), use this exam for enriching their faculty. They submit the candidacy of their assistant professors several years after they have received their doctorates. All the specialties of medical, pharmaceutical, dental, and veterinary sciences are involved.
This year, there were 172 successful candidates out of a total of 201 candidates from 24 universities. For neurology, seven candidates competed, and all succeeded. The awardees, in order of merit, are: Dieudonne Gnonlonfoun (Benin), Yacouba Mapoure (Cameroon), Paul Ossou (Congo), Thierry Adoukonou (Benin), Komi Assogba (Togo), Fode Cisse (Guinea), and Moustapha Sarr (Senegal).
This is a great achievement for local neurology training because six of them were entirely trained for four years, 15 years ago, at the University of Dakar, and one (Dr. Adoukonou) from the University of Abidjan (Ivory Coast). They also benefitted from one to two years of complementary focused training in France.
Gallo Diop, MD is a professor of neurology at the University Hospital of Dakar, Senegal, and co-opted trustee of the WFN.
