Cameroonian, Prof Sunny Aiyuk, appointed Deputy VC at Botswana Open University.

Prof Aiyuk was appointed following a protracted and arduous international and highly competitive recruitment process. In the new role, he will provide strategic leadership to more than 1,000 academic and professional staff.

This appointment is far more than a personal triumph. It is a powerful affirmation of a principle that Botswana has long championed: excellence knows no tribe, no clan, no national boundary. 

In a region where meritocracy is often spoken of but not always practiced, Botswana continues to distinguish itself as a nation willing to recognise talent wherever it is found, and to entrust leadership to those who demonstrate competence, integrity, and vision.

Prof Aiyuk’s selection through an open, transparent, and internationally benchmarked process, pundits say, reflects a national ethos that prioritises quality over identity, contribution over connections, and capability over patronage. 

Analysts say it is a reminder that institutions thrive when they cast their nets widely and choose the best minds to shape their future. 

It should also be noted that, at the final stage, Prof Aiyuk and the other contestants underwent an internationally administered Psychometric Assessment, from which Prof Aiyuk prevailed.

The achievement of Prof Aiyuk, pundits aver, contrasts with realities in Cameroon, where too often recognition of excellence is entangled in name-dropping, tribal affiliations, and political patronage, leaving many deserving scholars and leaders unseen or undervalued. 

They say the result is a system where brilliance is frequently overshadowed by networks, and where national progress is slowed by the inability to elevate merit above identity.

Professor Sunny’s success abroad, one analyst, who did not want to be named, “is therefore both a celebration and a challenge, a celebration of what is possible when excellence is allowed to rise, and a challenge to reimagine what recognition could look like in Cameroon if merit were allowed to speak louder than tribal politics”.

“Today, we honour Professor Aiyuk Sunny not only for his personal accomplishment but for what his journey symbolises: The triumph of competence over convenience, the affirmation of African excellence on an international stage. The hope that one day, all African nations will fully embrace meritocracy as the engine of institutional and national transformation,” the analyst added.

Prof Aiyuk is an experienced educator and administrator in the Tertiary Education realm, with over 15 years in university leadership. 

He holds a PhD in Environmental Technology from the Ghent University, Belgium, a combined M.Sc. in Water Resources Engineering from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium, a combined Master in Advanced Management from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and Solvay Business School, Belgium (specialising in Project Management), and a Postgraduate Diploma in Management. 

He also holds a M.Sc. in Applied Sedimentology and Petroleum Geology from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria, and a B.Sc. in Geology from the University of Yaounde, Cameroon. 

Again, Prof Aiyuk holds a professional Certificate in Prevention and Management of Communicable Diseases from the African Medical Research Foundation, AMREF, Kenya, a Certificate in Occupational Safety and Health from the National Institute of Occupational Health, NIOH in South Africa, and a Certificate for Distance Education Practitioners from the Botswana Open University. He holds various Certificates in Management and Leadership.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3783 of Friday May 08, 2026