Born in Makak on 20 January 1943, Etounga-Manguelle studied in Yaoundé and Douala before pursuing postgraduate studies in France. He earned his engineering degree from the École nationale de l'aviation civil and a doctorate in economic planning from the École pratique des hautes études.[2] After his studies, he worked as a consultant for an American firm and subsequently founded the Société africaine d'étude, d'exploitation et de gestion in Cameroon in 1989.[3] He assisted numerous businesses in economic development, management, and financial strategy.[4]
Etounga-Manguelle began his literary career in 1985 with the book Cent ans d’aliénation.[5] He discussed the problems of underdeveloped, which he largely pinned on the Berlin Conference and the dismissal of the local knowledge of African subsistence farmers.[6] His flagship work was published in 1991 and titled L’Afrique a-t-elle besoin d’un programme d’ajustement culturel? and proposed early questions on the sustainable development of Africa.[7] The book was published by Editions Nouvelles du Sud and denounced the cultural defects hampering development efforts in African countries.[8] It encouraged African states to look within at their lack of economic success through the behavior of citizens and their leaders.[9] His 1997 book Pour reconstruire et moderniser le Cameroun, on va faire comment? examined the case for African development from the perspective of Cameroon.[10] In 2004, he published Cameroun : une exception africaine ?, which made a case for land development in his home nation.[11] He emphasized his advocacy for individual responsibility in Vers une société responsable : le cas de l'Afrique (2009).[12] He further denounced the crisis of civilization in Africa.[13]
Etounga-Manguelle died in Abidjan on 5 June 2024, at the age of 81.[14]
