Science

 The future of green hydrogen explored at the University of Dschang for sustainable energy development in Cameroon.

The DAAD Alumni Conference, organized by the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Dschang, concluded on Thursday, 10 September 2026. This year’s edition addressed a strategic and highly timely theme: << The Future of Green Hydrogen for Sustainable Development in Cameroon >>. Through keynote presentations, interactive workshops, panel discussions, online contributions and poster sessions, experts examined emerging opportunities, challenges and innovative pathways for advancing clean, affordable, reliable and sustainable energy solutions in Cameroon and beyond. The works presented converge toward a unified vision of green hydrogen as a strategic vector for the country’s energy transition, while insisting on a necessary sequencing that prioritizes the strengthening of the national electricity system before any large-scale hydrogen deployment. Cameroon possesses substantial renewable foundations, with hydropower representing more than half of its electricity mix, solar irradiation ranging from 1 673 to 2 368 kWh per square meter per year, an exploitable hydropower potential exceeding 100 TWh per year and biomass accounting for a large share of final energy consumption. Yet rural electricity access remains around 26 percent compared to more than 94 percent in urban areas, which frames hydrogen as a complement to, rather than a substitute for, the universal electrification goals set for 2030.

On the production side, research efforts focus on overcoming the cost and scarcity of noble metal catalysts for water electrolysis. One contribution demonstrates a platinum-group-metal-free ZnO-CuO heterojunction composite synthesized by succinate-assisted co-precipitation and calcination at 550 degrees Celsius. The material reduces the overpotential at 10 mA per square centimeter from 539 mV for pure ZnO to 301 mV for the copper-enriched composite, with a threefold increase in intrinsic activity normalized by electrochemically active surface area and stable operation over 15 hours. Another line of investigation explores high entropy oxides such as NiCoCuCrFe-based structures supported on delaminated V2CTx MXene, where preliminary results show an overpotential of 153 mV at 10 mA per square centimeter in alkaline media, leveraging green synthesis routes using carboxylates derived from palm kernel oil. This approach illustrates the valorization of local resources for advanced materials. A multiscale computational framework combining density functional theory, climbing image nudged elastic band calculations and kinetic Monte Carlo simulations further investigates photoelectrochemical hydrogen evolution on Blue Phosphorene/MgO van der Waals heterostructures, identifying hydrogen adsorption via the Volmer reaction as the rate-determining step and demonstrating that surface coverage critically lowers reaction barriers.

Technical integration is addressed through artificial intelligence and power electronics. Reviews highlight the application of machine learning for safety enhancement, dynamic regulation of energy flows, real-time monitoring and early fault detection across the production, storage and utilization chain, including intelligent mobile robots for inspection. Complementary work develops intelligent management of photovoltaic systems coupled with battery storage using particle swarm optimization under MATLAB/Simulink, aiming to preserve storage capacity and maintain priority loads. Another study presents a real PID controller with derivative filter optimized by genetic algorithm for the boost converter of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell hybrid electric vehicle, demonstrating reduced overshoot, settling time and steady-state error, thereby improving fuel cell utilization for future hydrogen mobility.

Beyond technology, governance, sustainability and policy emerge as decisive dimensions. Analyses stress that Cameroon currently lacks a national hydrogen strategy, a certification framework aligned with European Union and African Union standards, and dedicated regulation. Proposed roadmaps prioritize clear regulations and tax incentives, planning of transport and storage infrastructure using compression at 200 to 700 bar, liquefaction at very low temperature, geological storage and absorbent materials, and prioritization of local demand such as fertilizers, green ammonia, heavy industry and corridor transport over exports. Levelized costs estimated at 5 to 7 US dollars per kilogram in 2026 could fall to 2 to 2.5 dollars by 2035 under such conditions. Environmental and social considerations are integrated through assessments of biodiversity loss, water availability and land governance, drawing on lessons from hydropower and forest governance in the Congo Basin. Concepts of convergence governance involving sectoral administrations, decentralized territorial communities, customary authorities, private operators and civil society are advanced, alongside knowledge governance models that disaggregate stakeholders to include women, youth and indigenous communities. Legal analyses further call for the application of World Bank environmental and social safeguards, early stakeholder engagement and benefit-sharing mechanisms to secure a social license to operate, with governance and measurement, reporting and verification matrices benchmarked against ISO 14064, ISO 14067 and GHG Protocol standards to ensure additionality of renewable electricity and avoid reducing household electricity availability.

Through the richness of its scientific contributions and the relevance of its policy recommendations, this conference has once again affirmed the University of Dschang as a center of excellence for research, innovation and knowledge transfer, a dynamic institution whose commitment to rigorous science, interdisciplinary collaboration and sustainable solutions actively contributes to Cameroon’s emergence and to the building of a resilient and inclusive energy future.