I am a French citizen of Cameroonian origin, shaped by dual Francophone and Anglophone cultural roots, within my African cultural heritage. I hold a master’s degree in mass communication and journalism alongside several postgraduate qualifications in audiovisual communication, corporate governance, and other studies in applied anthropology, and in economics.
My academic training in journalism— particularly the theory of "Information and Evidence" — underpins my methodological approach as a country conditions expert witness, combining the rigour of investigative journalism with the independence and scepticism required to assess credibility and weigh sources at the standard demanded by courts and tribunals.
As a permanent press correspondent based in the Geneva area since 1993 and accredited as a permanent press correspondent at UN Headquarters (1995–2005), I have built an extensive network across UN agencies (OHCHR, UNHCR, IOM, WHO, UNAIDS, and others) and I maintain direct contacts with journalists, human rights defenders, lawyers, and officials across Africa.
I combine published documentary research with original interviews — both with asylum claimants and with in-country sources — to produce country conditions expert witness reports for immigration, refugee, and asylum proceedings in the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Netherlands.
Indeed, my expertise to comment on immigration, refugee, and asylum cases Sub-Sahara African countries of origin comes from my several decades of professional experience accumulated in dealing with information on African countries as an investigative journalist and a researcher, specializing in Human rights, development issues and related humanitarian affairs in Africa.
In my opinion, well-researched and timely country conditions expert witness reports from an investigative journalist can complement other types of information which are available to the court. Therefore, my investigative journalism research methods applied to country conditions expert witness reports for courts/Tribunals should be understood as a socio-legal research approach in the context of pluri-disciplinary expertise at court.
This makes all the difference in my work as a country conditions expert witness in relation to events and issues which are relevant to legal cases, particularly those concerning matters such as immigration, refugee, asylum, and deportation.
In preparing country conditions expert witness reports, I draw on both published documentary sources and original investigative research, including direct interviews with Appellants and in-country local experts. My Appellant interviews serve a dual purpose for deepen my understanding of everyone’s personal circumstances and migration history, and help avoid misunderstandings arising from translation, interpretation, or cultural perception. This allows me to deploy my capacity as a cultural expert to address specific sensitive matters within each report.
I have developed extensive specialist knowledge of social structures, the position of women, the rights of sexual minorities, and cultural practices across sub-Saharan Africa — covering Central Africa, the Great Lakes region, West Africa, and the Horn of Africa. My expertise encompasses Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), forced marriages, domestic servitude, traditional and religious practices, and access to healthcare (including HIV/AIDS, disability, and mental health) across a wide range of countries in the region.
I have detailed knowledge of the legal and administrative frameworks of several Francophone African countries: the functioning of border control and security services, judicial appointment structures, local legislation, and the verification of official documents such as arrest warrants, civil status records, identity cards, passports, military documents, and political party membership cards.
Since 2002, I have acted as a country conditions expert witness before courts and tribunals in the in USA, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, in cases concerning immigration, refugees, asylum, and deportation. I have produced over 150 country conditions expert witness reports and delivered more than 15 oral testimonies, including cross-examinations and direct examinations.
These country condition expert witness reports cover the personal situation of the asylum claimant and look at how this relates to the political, military, religious believes and social-cultural matters in specific Sub-Saharan African countries of origin and at a certain point of time. My expertise has been formally recognised in numerous judicial rulings, both favourable and unfavourable to Appellants.
I am an award-winning journalist for my investigations into Child slavery in West Africa. I published an academic paper on “Cultural Expertise and investigative journalism” (Cultural Expertise, Law and Rights, Chapter 10, Pages 123-131, April 2023), or the intersection of cultural expertise at court and investigative journalism. I am an associate of the Euro-expert network, an international community of academics and socio-legal professionals sharing experience and knowledge on cultural expertise at Court.
As an investigative and research journalist covering several African countries, I have produced written country conditions expert witness reports for more than 150 court cases regarding, immigration, refugee, asylum, and deportation.
I have also presented more than 15 oral evidence, testimonies, cross-examination and direct examination at immigration, refugee, and asylum -related legal procedures at courts /tribunals.
Programme support officer (1993-1995) with the Regional Bureau for Africa and the Middle East at the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) Geneva Headquarters - gathering information on human rights and historical research on migrations in Francophone Africa and Maghreb countries and designing and managing of migrations for development programmes.
Research into the position of refugees and the provision of humanitarian relief in Côte d’Ivoire, Congo, Guinea, and Central African Republic for monthly country bulletins issued by Writenet/UNHCR and Writenet /UNHCR special reports on Guinea and Central African Republic.
Academic research studies on the United Nations Information System, including “L’information des Nations Unies: quel avenir?” (1989); “Centres d’Informations des Nations Unies: un medium si peu connu” (1988); as well as other issues related to the United Nations System.
Work for Panafrican News Agency (Dakar-Senegal), Africa Confidential (UK), Africa Analysis (London-UK), BBC News On-line (Africa and World Services), The EIU, Africa Energy (Cross-border Information Group), Oxford Analytica, International Trade Finance (Informa Publishing, UK), Africa Oil and Gas Bulletin (CWC Group - UK), Die Deustche Welle (Africa- French Service/Cologne-Germany) , Africa Sub of Sahara, and occasional contributor to many other papers.
Reporting for La Semaine Africaine (Brazzaville) and other African media since 1986 on: Human Rights, Education, Women, Children’s rights, street children, HIV/AIDS, other humanitarian, development, and related affairs in Africa.
Any oral evidence, cross-examination, or court attendance — whether in person or online — as well as associated travel and daily allowances, are charged as additional fees. For Legal Aid-funded cases, I note that no fixed maximum fee applies to country conditions expert witness reports.