Cameroonian Catholic Diocese Authorized to Launch “Sapientia Higher Institute of the Diocese of Kumba”: Bishop

Kumba, 25 January, 2026 / 12:45 AM

Plans are underway to launch the first Catholic University Institute for Cameroon’s Kumba Catholic Diocese, the Local Ordinary, Bishop Agapitus Nfon, has announced.

In a statement shared with ACI Africa on Saturday, January 24, Bishop Nfon reveals that Cameroon’s Minister of Higher Education authorized the creation of the new institution, to be known as Sapientia Higher Institute of the Diocese of Kumba (SAHIK) and to be launched for the academic year 2026/2027 later in the year.

“I am therefore happy to inform you that the Minister of Higher Education has granted us the authorization to begin a Catholic University Institute in the Diocese of Kumba,” he says.

According to the Catholic Bishop, the new institution of higher learning is in response to appeals from Catholic parents and educators seeking a “local, faith-based option for higher learning.”

With the government’s approval, SAHIK will initially offer Higher National Diploma (HND) programs in Agricultural and Food Sciences, Management, Business and Finance, Computer Engineering, Medical and Biomedical Sciences, Home Economics and Social Work, and Tourism and Hotel Management.

Additional engineering programs, including Civil, Mechanical, and Electrical/Electronic Engineering, are to be introduced once the necessary equipment is in place, he has said.

Bishop Nfon explains in his statement that the Church, “as mother and teacher, is under the obligation to provide for her children an education directed towards the formation of the human person in view of his/her final end or goal and the good of the society to which he/she belongs.”

He recalls Vatican II teaching that Catholic education should help young people “to develop harmoniously their physical, moral and intellectual qualities harmoniously” and “foster a sense of values and prepare young people for professionalism.”

Highlighting the pastoral need that prompted the initiative, Bishop Nfon says that while his Episcopal See has established nursery, primary, secondary, and high schools, it “had not yet provided the opportunity for our children and young people to further their education at the tertiary or university level.”

As a result, he says, “most of our children had to go out of Kumba Diocese to further their studies and to fulfill their academic dreams,” a situation that came “with so many sacrifices and consequences both economically, morally, and socially.”

“The coming of this university shall be a great financial relief to our parents who had to spend so much money for the accommodation of their children out of Kumba… Now, the University has come right to our doorsteps,” he says.

Reflecting on the name of the Catholic institute, Bishop Nfon explains, “Sapientia, in Latin means Wisdom, and since wisdom is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, it is our prayerful wish that all who shall enroll in SAHIK shall be endowed with the wisdom to acquire sufficient knowledge in their specialty and to become professionals in serving the society through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, Seat of Wisdom.”

He emphasizes that the university will be inclusive, saying, “This Citadel of Wisdom is not only for Catholics; it shall open its doors to all young people who want to acquire knowledge in a disciplined environment and fulfill their dreams in life, regardless of their denominations.”

According to the Cameroonian Catholic Bishop, admission is to begin in June 2026, and the university will officially open in October 2026 for the 2026/2027 academic year.

He calls on the Clergy, members of Institutes of Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life (ICLSAL), the Laity, including school principals, chaplains, members of Parents and Teachers Associations (PTAs), and education commissions “to give the widest publicity about our University Institute.”

He says further details on admission requirements will be communicated by the University Management Team before registration begins.

“We entrust our University Institute, Sapientia Higher Institute of the Diocese of Kumba (SAHIK) to the maternal protection and intercession of our Blessed Virgin Mary, Seat of Wisdom,” Bishop Nfon implores.