Bournemouth University Disaster Management Centre (BUDMC), Sep 30, 2021
Centre (BUDMC). He is an awardwinning, distinguished scholar, who has held full professorial posi... more Centre (BUDMC). He is an awardwinning, distinguished scholar, who has held full professorial positions at four universities (in the UK and Sweden) since 2006. He has researched and published extensively on African and Caribbean disaster management issues, as well as directed numerous research projects seeking to enhance disaster management and crisis communication in, among others, Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Cameroon and Senegal. Lee has also advised national and local authorities on disaster risk reduction, response and recovery issues in Sierra Leone; most recently, in relation to COVID-19 as well as the fire disaster in Susan's Bay, Freetown in 2021. Alongside AFRICAB, Lee is a leading researcher on a research project on constructive crisis communication and is the co-author of a 2021 report that represents the first major nationwide research survey of the impact of COVID-19 on disaster journalism in
Information and communication technology (ICT) diffusion in developing counties (DC) has accelera... more Information and communication technology (ICT) diffusion in developing counties (DC) has accelerated in the last decade with many organisations investing in ICTs to help improve efficiency and effectiveness of their operations. This study investigated factors impacting adoption and usage of western designed software systems in DC with particular focus on working culture and environment. We used a case study approach focused on the implementation of Oracle FLEXCUBE universal banking software system at the National Financial Credit bank in Cameroon. We investigated the factors that impacted the implementation and explored user attitudes towards western designed software systems. A mixed-method design approach and triangulation of TAM and DOI underpinned the research. Findings revealed significant support for cultural and environmental factors in the implementation of western designed software systems in DC. Results also show significant level of trust for western designed software pac...
Social risks and challenges in post-disaster resettlement: the case of Lake Nyos, Cameroon
Journal of Risk Research, 2012
This paper examines contemporary challenges in post-disaster resettlement in Cameroon. The focus ... more This paper examines contemporary challenges in post-disaster resettlement in Cameroon. The focus is on the ongoing post-disaster experiences of survivors who were resettled in seven camps after the Lake Nyos Disaster in 1986. Empirical data obtained at the Ukpwa Waindo resettlement camp were used for analysis of impoverishment due to relocation and resettlement. Cameroon’s weak macroeconomic situation that started a
Disaster management in Cameroon: the Lake Nyos disaster experience
Disaster Prevention and Management, 2012
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to review critically, how the Lake Nyos disaster (LND), wh... more Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to review critically, how the Lake Nyos disaster (LND), which occurred in 1986, is being managed by examining the immediate post disaster management and long‐term management. It reveals how the disaster management system in Cameroon influences the management style and process with regards to the technical and socio‐economic management of LND.Design/methodology/approach – Qualitative research methods for empirical and secondary data were adopted in the study, including interviews (with disaster managers and LND survivors) and reviews of policy documents and media reports. Triangulation of information sources in the analysis has been done to enhance credibility.Findings – While significant progress has been made in technical management of LND, the socio‐economic management has been poor. Although this can be partly attributed to the weak financial situation of Cameroon, the major problems seem to be related to human systems.Practical implications – The disaster managem...
North Cameroon, though located in an arid environment, ironically also suffers from the serious t... more North Cameroon, though located in an arid environment, ironically also suffers from the serious threat of flooding in the region. This article examines contemporary challenges resulting from frequent flooding in North Cameroon. Using Cutter's "Hazard of Place Model" of vulnerability as the conceptual basis, the article triangulates data from a variety of sources to analyze environmental risks, social and biophysical vulnerability and flood impact, including flood risk management in North Cameroon. The findings reveal that North Cameroon is vulnerable to frequent flooding due to a combination of environmental, socioeconomic , and geographic factors further compounded by low organizational resilience to flooding with dire consequences for livelihoods. We argue that, if not handled appropriately, the impact of flooding in North Cameroon risks trapping the population in a permanent and vicious cycle of destitution and poverty. The government urgently needs to review its disaster management policies to be more proactive and strategic in flood management in order to enhance human security and prevent permanent damage to the livelihoods and the micro-economy of the region. Lessons learned from this research, when applied, can help to reduce the vulnerabilities of the poverty-stricken population and enhance resilience to flood risks.
The impact of natural hazards and/or disasters in Cameroon continues to hit local communities har... more The impact of natural hazards and/or disasters in Cameroon continues to hit local communities hardest, but local government lacks the ability to manage disaster risks adequately. This is partly due to the fact that the necessity to mainstream disaster risk reduction into local governance and development practices is not yet an underlying principle of Cameroon’s disaster management framework. Using empirical and secondary data, this paper analyses the governance of disaster risks in Cameroon with particular focus on the challenges local government faces in implementing disaster risk reduction strategies. The hypothesis is that the governance of disaster risks is too centralised at the national level, with huge implications for the effective governance of disaster risks at the local level. Although Cameroon has reinvigorated efforts to address growing disaster risks in a proactive way, it is argued that the practical actions are more reactive than proactive in nature. The overall aim ...
This thesis examines contemporary challenges within "natural" disaster risk, vulnerability, reset... more This thesis examines contemporary challenges within "natural" disaster risk, vulnerability, resettlement and disaster management in Cameroon. Its empirical focus is on the experiences of the Lake Nyos and Lake Monoum gas disasters which occurred in the mid-1980s, and on the processes that surrounded resettlement and subsequent relocation of affected populations. The underlying aim is to understand the social context of risk and vulnerability, and consider how such knowledge can be integrated in the development planning process of Cameroon. The research adopts the position, now common in the political ecology of hazards, that disasters occur due to the interaction between human and physical factors, and that disaster risk reduction measures should incorporate socioeconomic and socio-cultural problems. The thesis combines evidence from questionnaire surveys, interviews, documents and field observations, in order to produce a detailed understanding of the processes at work. Results are presented in study populations; three that were affected by the gas disasters (the displaced victims of the Lake Nyos disaster presently living in resettlement camps, former displaced victims of the Lake Nyos disaster who have moved back to the disaster zone and the residents in and around Lake Monoum who were not resettled and have not moved from the disaster area) and a set of key stakeholders involved in disaster management in Cameroon. Most disaster research in Cameroon focuses on the technical aspects of natural hazards/disasters. There is conspicuous lack of research or published materials that addresses the social aspects of natural disasters. Research findings show that Cameroon's disaster management framework has been oriented to address mostly the crisis phase of natural disasters. This view is confirmed by the case study results, which reveal that the management of the Lake Nyos disaster focused on the immediate aftermath of the disaster, without contingency planning for the displaced survivors. Results also reveal that the resettlement of disaster survivors has created social conditions that have led to their relocation back to the disaster zone. Results regarding several risk-related themes strongly indicate that disaster managers in the government sector generally perceive risk from a technical, scientific or physical perspective. Past experience and socio-cultural factors appear to be more responsible for risk perception and attitudes to risk in the disaster affected populations. The relocation of the Lake Nyos disaster survivors back to the disaster area and the nonrelocation of Njindoum residents within the vicinity of Lake Monoum indicate that both lakes are not considered to be a prohibitively serious threat. Analysis of relocation decisions shows that motivations for relocation are caused mainly by social, economic and cultural factors, which arise from resettlement. Based on the research findings, a new disaster model is presented that shows the linkages, influences and interaction between Relocation Decisions and Disaster Management, Risk Perception and Vulnerability. III ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Very few things can be accomplished in life without the assistance or encouragement of others, and a PhD thesis is certainly not one of them. Looking back at my life from the first day I entered Norwich, and especially since my registration for the PhD program, the list of people to whom I am indebted for their company, assistance, support and encouragement is very long. Since I cannot mention everyone, I hope to be pardoned for singling out a few. IV
One of Africa’s newest struggles for liberation: Cameroon’s Anglophone crisis, which emerged from... more One of Africa’s newest struggles for liberation: Cameroon’s Anglophone crisis, which emerged from legal and education grievances in 2016, rapidly escalated into a secessionist political conflict that is threatening the unity of the country, with potential to degenerate into a complex emergency. In an exploratory, qualitative, analytical, and descriptive case study research tradition involving document/content analysis, we apply the Robert Strauss Centre’s complex emergency framework to investigate the potential of the Anglophone crisis, whose ramifications lead us to consider it an acute complex emergency. Our contention is based on the fact that 72.5% of the variables in all the complex emergencies fall within the relevant to extremely relevant ranking criteria. Furthermore, the establishment of a nexus between the Anglophone crisis and a natural hazard-induced disaster suggest an escalation of the crisis to an unbearable level. Using the high probability of a novel eruption at Mt....
The paucity of a comprehensive document on Cameroon’s hazard/disaster risk profile is a limitatio... more The paucity of a comprehensive document on Cameroon’s hazard/disaster risk profile is a limitation to the country wide risk assessment and adequate disaster resilience. This article narrows this gap by retrospectively exploring Cameroon’s hazard/disaster profile. This has been achieved through an investigative approach that applies a set of qualitative methods to derive and articulate an inventory and analysis of hazards/disasters in Cameroon. The findings indicate that Cameroon has a wide array and high incidence/frequency of hazards that have had devastating consequences. The hazards have been structured along four profiles: a classification of all hazard types plaguing Cameroon into natural, potentially socio-natural, technological, and social and anthropogenic hazards; occurrence/origin of the hazards; their impacts/effects to the ‘at risk’ communities/populace and potential disaster management or mitigation measures. In-depth analysis indicate that natural hazards have the lowe...
Social Vulnerability and Risk Perception to Natural Hazards in Cameroon Two Decades After the Lake Nyos Gas Disaster: What Future Prospect for the Displaced Disaster Victims?
This paper, seeks to understand through a case study approach social vulnerability and risk perce... more This paper, seeks to understand through a case study approach social vulnerability and risk perception to natural hazards in Cameroon as a consequence of the Lake Nyos Disaster that occurred in 1986. It is hypothesized that the science-led disaster management nature of the Lake Nyos Disaster that has focused mostly on eliminating the physical risk in the lake have had a serious toll on the lives and livelihood of the disaster survivors. The aim is to unveil the social nature of vulnerability and how risk is viewed based on its perceptions, in order to better appreciate how both risk and vulnerability are affected by disaster management and how they intend influence relocation decisions. This is because though Cameroon is prone to natural hazards, programs for disaster risk management have not established the link between risk, vulnerability and development while risk reduction is still oriented towards technical analyses and structural mitigation measures without any social consider...
Journal of Humanities and Applied Social Sciences, 2021
Purpose This paper aims to explore the responses of households in the informal economic sector to... more Purpose This paper aims to explore the responses of households in the informal economic sector to the Cameroon Government strategy against Covid-19 in Yaounde, Cameroon between March and May 2020. Design/methodology/approach Given the recency of Covid-19, the exploratory design was used to collect and analyse information for the study. Empirical data was obtained through personal observations and questionnaires, whereas grey data were sourced from official sources in government and international agencies in Yaounde. The mode of the ordinal data generated from the questionnaire was used to characterise the attitudes of respondents to quarantine measures and bar charts were used to illustrate the distribution of responses. Findings The government’s strategy against Covid-19 was largely ignored in Yaounde between March and May 2020 because of the influence of the predominantly informal economy on household’s ability to allocate scarce resources between the competing needs of protecting...
This thesis examines contemporary challenges within "natural" disaster risk, vulnerability, reset... more This thesis examines contemporary challenges within "natural" disaster risk, vulnerability, resettlement and disaster management in Cameroon. Its empirical focus is on the experiences of the Lake Nyos and Lake Monoum gas disasters which occurred in the mid-1980s, and on the processes that surrounded resettlement and subsequent relocation of affected populations. The underlying aim is to understand the social context of risk and vulnerability, and consider how such knowledge can be integrated in the development planning process of Cameroon. The research adopts the position, now common in the political ecology of hazards, that disasters occur due to the interaction between human and physical factors, and that disaster risk reduction measures should incorporate socioeconomic and socio-cultural problems. The thesis combines evidence from questionnaire surveys, interviews, documents and field observations, in order to produce a detailed understanding of the processes at work. Results are presented in study populations; three that were affected by the gas disasters (the displaced victims of the Lake Nyos disaster presently living in resettlement camps, former displaced victims of the Lake Nyos disaster who have moved back to the disaster zone and the residents in and around Lake Monoum who were not resettled and have not moved from the disaster area) and a set of key stakeholders involved in disaster management in Cameroon. Most disaster research in Cameroon focuses on the technical aspects of natural hazards/disasters. There is conspicuous lack of research or published materials that addresses the social aspects of natural disasters. Research findings show that Cameroon's disaster management framework has been oriented to address mostly the crisis phase of natural disasters. This view is confirmed by the case study results, which reveal that the management of the Lake Nyos disaster focused on the immediate aftermath of the disaster, without contingency planning for the displaced survivors. Results also reveal that the resettlement of disaster survivors has created social conditions that have led to their relocation back to the disaster zone. Results regarding several risk-related themes strongly indicate that disaster managers in the government sector generally perceive risk from a technical, scientific or physical perspective. Past experience and socio-cultural factors appear to be more responsible for risk perception and attitudes to risk in the disaster affected populations. The relocation of the Lake Nyos disaster survivors back to the disaster area and the nonrelocation of Njindoum residents within the vicinity of Lake Monoum indicate that both lakes are not considered to be a prohibitively serious threat. Analysis of relocation decisions shows that motivations for relocation are caused mainly by social, economic and cultural factors, which arise from resettlement. Based on the research findings, a new disaster model is presented that shows the linkages, influences and interaction between Relocation Decisions and Disaster Management, Risk Perception and Vulnerability. III ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Very few things can be accomplished in life without the assistance or encouragement of others, and a PhD thesis is certainly not one of them. Looking back at my life from the first day I entered Norwich, and especially since my registration for the PhD program, the list of people to whom I am indebted for their company, assistance, support and encouragement is very long. Since I cannot mention everyone, I hope to be pardoned for singling out a few. IV
Contemporary flood risk perceptions in England: Implications for flood risk management foresight
Climate Risk Management, 2021
Although England has been experiencing major floods dating back thousands of years, the hazard is... more Although England has been experiencing major floods dating back thousands of years, the hazard is increasing in frequency and intensity, exacerbated by climate risks with potentially serious consequences. Despite attempts to mitigate climate risks (manifested via recurrent flooding) in line with international disaster risk reduction agendas, the impacts/effects of floods continue to increase in England. This is partly due to negligence in inculcating contemporary flood risk perceptions (FRP) into climate risk management (CRM) strategies. This research aims to investigate contemporary FRM in England through a qualitative case study approach in Wainfleet All Saints in Lincolnshire County that experienced unprecedented floods in June 2019. Empirical investigation was conducted with the flood-affected community members and flood managers with oversight of CRM in the region. Key findings reveal the June 2019 floods had both tangible and intangible impacts for the affected community with ...
Climate change and climate variability are causing frequent flooding in Northern Cameroon with di... more Climate change and climate variability are causing frequent flooding in Northern Cameroon with dire consequences for food security and agrarian livelihoods. With projected increases in temperature and rainfall, there is heightened risk for livelihood assets and food security in the region. This article undertakes three tasks. First, it applies and adapts the Sustainable Livelihood conceptual framework to the Northern Cameroon case. Second, evaluating the 2012 floods, considered the worst affecting Northern Cameroon, and lastly, this research investigates the effects of frequent flooding on livelihood assets and food security focusing on two case study sites. Findings indicate that floods usually cause considerable damage to critical infrastructure with dire ramifications for food Security and livelihood assets. Finally, the article draws upon the empirical findings relating to post-2012 flood in Cameroon to facilitate further enhancements to the Sustainable Livelihood framework. The authors argue that there is considerable 'value-added' if the framework accommodates a more explicit disaster management perspective. By integrating an explicit disaster management perspective, further insights are in turn possible into the future role of transforming structures and processes that influence livelihood strategies and outcomes in a food-insecure Cameroon confronted with every more frequent flooding.
The Journal of Internet Banking and Commerce, 2015
Organizations in developing countries have over the last decade been investing heavily in informa... more Organizations in developing countries have over the last decade been investing heavily in information and communication technologies to drive efficiency and
Purpose This paper aims to examine Cameroon's health service resilience in the first five mon... more Purpose This paper aims to examine Cameroon's health service resilience in the first five months (March-July 2020) of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak The motive is to diagnose sub-optimal performance in sustaining health-care services during the pandemic to identify areas for improvement and draw lessons for the future Design/methodology/approach This is principally qualitative, exploratory, analytical and descriptive research that involves the collation of empirical, primary and secondary data A conceptual framework [health systems resilience for emerging infectious diseases (HSREID)] provides structure to the study and an anchor for interpreting the findings The research validity has been established by analysing the aims/objectives from multiple perspectives in the research tradition of triangulation Findings Cameroon has exerted much effort to combat the COVID-19 pandemic Yet, several constraints and gaps exist The findings reveal limitations in Cameroon's response t...
Journal of Humanities and Applied Social Sciences, 2021
Purpose This paper aims to explore the responses of households in the informal economic sector to... more Purpose This paper aims to explore the responses of households in the informal economic sector to the Cameroon Government strategy against Covid-19 in Yaounde, Cameroon between March and May 2020. Design/methodology/approach Given the recency of Covid-19, the exploratory design was used to collect and analyse information for the study. Empirical data was obtained through personal observations and questionnaires, whereas grey data were sourced from official sources in government and international agencies in Yaounde. The mode of the ordinal data generated from the questionnaire was used to characterise the attitudes of respondents to quarantine measures and bar charts were used to illustrate the distribution of responses. Findings The government’s strategy against Covid-19 was largely ignored in Yaounde between March and May 2020 because of the influence of the predominantly informal economy on household’s ability to allocate scarce resources between the competing needs of protecting...
International Quarterly of Community Health Education
The current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led Cameroon’s government to impleme... more The current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led Cameroon’s government to implement public health measures aimed at preventing its spread. This paper investigates how community health education on the virus was being carried out, what gaps exist and what further action could be taken. A survey instrument was used to gather data among a total of 179 Cameroonians recruited via opportunistic and snowball sampling methods. According to our findings, gaps exist. These include the need for adequate community health education on COVID-19, maximising multilingualism and indigenous cultural assets and disbanding misconceptions on the pandemic, as well as stigmatisation. The paper culminates by underlining the significance of an integrated approach to confront the pandemic. This approach captures the need to frame but also firm up community health education architecture on COVID-19 that captures inputs from different stakeholders, including indigenous knowledge holders, for co...
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Papers by Henry Bang