Our history
From a vision of the Catholic Bishops of the Bamenda Ecclesiastical Province to a university drawing students from across Cameroon and beyond — the story of CATUC.
A Catholic university for Cameroon
Rooted in faith, built for the future
The Catholic University of Cameroon (CATUC) Bamenda was founded in 2010 by the Catholic Bishops of the Bamenda Ecclesiastical Province — Bamenda, Buea, Kumbo, Mamfe and Kumba — as a response to the need for high-quality, values-based higher education in the region.
What began with a small group of students and a handful of programmes has grown into a university with six Schools and Faculties, offering HND, undergraduate, graduate and doctoral studies to more than 3,000 students from across Cameroon and neighbouring countries.
Milestones
A short timeline
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2010
A vision takes root
CATUC is founded by the Catholic Bishops of the Bamenda Ecclesiastical Province to offer Cameroonian students a rigorous university education grounded in the Catholic intellectual tradition.
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2012
First cohorts on campus
The university welcomes its first students to Bamenda, opening initial programmes in the humanities, business and health sciences on a modest hillside campus.
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2015
Growing Faculties and Schools
New Schools and Faculties are added — including Health and Medical Sciences, Engineering, and Tropical Agriculture and Natural Resources — expanding CATUC's reach across professional disciplines.
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2018
Graduate & research programmes
CATUC establishes graduate programmes and formal research coordination, extending the university's mission into masters and doctoral study.
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2021
New Vice-Chancellor
Rev. Dr. Giles Ngwa Forteh assumes the office of Vice-Chancellor, leading a renewed focus on academic quality, infrastructure and student formation.
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Today
A university of the region and the world
With over 3,000 students, 80+ programmes and six Schools and Faculties, CATUC continues to form ethical leaders for Cameroon, Africa and beyond.
A shared founding
The Bishops' Conference vision
CATUC is owned and governed by the Bamenda Ecclesiastical Province. The founding Bishops set out to build a university that would combine academic rigour with the moral and spiritual formation of the whole person — welcoming students of every faith while remaining faithful to the Catholic intellectual tradition.
That vision continues to shape everything we do — from curriculum design to campus life, chaplaincy, service and research.
Continue exploring CATUC
Read about our mission, meet our leadership, or discover our programmes.
