Vincent Nkong-Njock

Vincent Nkong-Njock (born April 22, 1963) is a Cameroonian business executive, author, and nuclear scientist. He has been the Chairman and CEO of ILEMEL since 2015 and previously served as a Senior Official at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) in France.
==Biography==
===Early life and education===
Vincent Nkong Njock was born on April 22, 1963, in Douala, Cameroon, into a Bassa family. His father, Njock Thomas, was a municipal agent in Douala. In 1988, Nkong Njock entered the Grenoble Institute of Technology, graduating in 1990 from the École nationale supérieure de physique de Grenoble. He obtained his Dr. Ing. specialization in 1992 from the National Institute for Nuclear Science and Technology (INSTN). He also holds a Master of Science and Technology in Electrical Engineering from the University of Lorraine, obtained in 1988.
===Career===
====Atomic Energy Commission (CEA)====
In 1992, Vincent Nkong Njock was recruited as a Research Engineer at the Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) by Michel Destot, future Deputy Mayor of Grenoble. He was spun off to create the company CORYS, where he developed the multifunction simulator for EDF France's P4 and P'4 reactors.
====International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)====
Nkong Njock joined the International Atomic Energy Agency in 1998 as a Project Manager and later became a Program Manager. He was responsible for introducing radiotherapy for cancer treatment in several African countries, including Sudan, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Nigeria, and Ghana. He led key nuclear projects in Africa, such as building the nuclear reactor at CERT Zaria and the particle accelerator at CERD Ile-Ife, both in Nigeria. He also oversaw the overhaul of the nuclear research reactor in Accra, Ghana, and led the tsetse fly eradication project in Zanzibar, Tanzania.
Returning to the IAEA in 2007, Nkong Njock launched the IAEA Milestone Approach for introducing nuclear power in newcomer countries. He led successful nuclear power introduction projects, such as Barakah in the United Arab Emirates and Akkuyu in Turkey, while supporting nuclear programs in Nigeria, Egypt, and other African countries.
Nkong Njock has created and co-directed several leadership and management training programs in the nuclear industry at institutions such as Argonne National Laboratory (USA), KINGS University (South Korea), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and the ICTP in Trieste.
====ILEMEL SA====
In 2015, Vincent Nkong-Njock founded ILEMEL SA in Senegal and Cameroon to contribute to Africa's electrification. The company focuses on rural electrification using prepaid solar systems. Nkong Njock advises governments on energy policies and implementing universal energy access programs while promoting small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) for African countries.
===Views===
As an Afro-optimist, Nkong Njock believes Africa can and will develop with its own approach based on industrialization, macroeconomic policies focused on population well-being, and better wealth distribution. He argues that development requires affordable, available, and stable energy, including nuclear power, to achieve net-zero emissions.
==Publications==
*2007: Milestones in the Development of a National Infrastructure for Nuclear Power, IAEA
*2015: Diaspora Camerounaise: En dehors de l'Etat, au sein de la nation (ed. Alain Nkoyock), Kiyikatt Editions, 
*2024: Construction of a Community Developmental State (with Jimmy Yab), Presse Université de Southampton, 
Category:1963 births
Category:Living people
Category:Cameroonian businesspeople
Category:Cameroonian engineers
Category:Cameroonian scientists
Category:Nuclear physicists
Category:Grenoble Institute of Technology alumni
Category:University of Lorraine alumni
Category:International Atomic Energy Agency officials