User:Owula kpakpo/Akuma Divine Saningong

Akuma Divine Saningong (born September 9, 1978) is a Cameroonian-born German author, international speaker, teacher, and mentor, professionally known for assisting entrepreneurs in shaping their lives by bridging science and personal development.

Early life and education
Saningong was born in Cameroon on September 9, 1978, to Anye Henry Saningong, a lawyer, and Helen Nanga Saningong, an accountant and post oﬃce manager. He has six siblings and completed his junior high and senior high education at schools in different Cameroonian towns of Wum, Bali, and Bamenda. He later attended the Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences, where he studied Biotechnology until 2004 and moved to the Technical University of Munich to do his master's degree in Molecular Biotechnology till 2006, to do his master's degree in Molecular at the Else Kroner-Fresenius Endowment Professorship Technical University of Munich, Department of Molecular Nutritional Medicine. He researched under the supervision of Prof. Dr. med. Hans Hauner on the topic "Functional Characterization of Potential Regulatory SNPs in the Proximal Promoter Region of the human ACDS Gene Adiponectin," which became his first publication. His work on this theme was his first experience in the biology of epigenetics, where he learned how lifestyle influences human health. The Elfriede and Helmut Lotz Foundation sponsored this work. From 2006 to 2010, he worked on his Ph.D. thesis entitled "Functional Studies on Par14/Par17 with Emphasis on Chromatin, The Cell Cycle, and Protein- Protein Interactions" at the [https://www.uni-due.de/zmb/structural-medicinal-biochemistry/index.php#:~:text=The%20department%20Structural%20and%20Medicinal,the%20structure%20determination%20of%20biomolecules. University of Duisburg-Essen, Department of Structural and Medical Biochemistry], which resulted in further publications. During this time, he was a fellow of the German Research Foundation (DFG) in the research training group, Transcription, Chromatin Structure and DNA Repair in Development and Differentiation. In it, Saningong increasingly expanded his knowledge of epigenetics accompanied with a grant from the Federation of European Biochemical Societies (FEBS) and German Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (GBM).

Career
Saningong started working as an innovation manager & head of research & development (Biotechnology Department) at EurA AG after completing his doctoral thesis until September 2015. During this time, he established four international innovation, research and development (R&D) networks with partners from industry and academia. These projects were funded by the German Federal Ministries of Economic Aﬀairs and Climate Action (BMWK), Education and Research (BMBF), and the EU and aimed to apply biotechnological methods to add value to organic wastes to generate novel products and technologies. Improved waste management benefits the environment and prevents waste by-products such as xenoestrogens from accumulating in the human food chain. Xenoestrogens are endocrine disruptors and are known to cause hormonal abnormalities in animals and humans such as feminization of males. Saningong's primary focus in launching these initiatives, amongst others, was to address this epigenetic health issue. His innovative, collaborative projects aimed to bridge the gap between research and industry and better commercialise scientific findings. These work further led to several publications. In 2020, on his initiative and under his leadership, the Epi-Health Innovation and Research Network with partners from science and industry was approved and funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK), which is also a result of his pioneering work in the field of epigenetics as it was designed to technologise and biologise health so that illness is an option. Saningong also led "Afrika-Digital-Energie," which is a research and innovation network that was approved in 2021 and funded by the same Ministry (BMWK). The mission statement of the innovation network is the development and research of innovative and digital technologies in the energy industry for sub-Saharan Africa. This is to address the constant energy crisis and power outages that are prevalent in this region, thus an impediment to technological advancement and the reinforcement of poverty. The network encourages greater participation of German companies and cooperation with Africa. It has the goal of mastering socio-economic challenges in the energy sector through R&D innovation.

Personal development as a science
Since 2015, Saningong has been helping people with a focus on entrepreneurs, to bridge the gap between science and personal development, and his many years of work in epigenetics have been a major influence on this decision. Saningong has been featured on many podcasts, making the connection between science and personal development.

As a TEDx speaker he has presented on the following topics: The Future of Epigenetics, Play It Forward with Transgenerational Epigenetics, and Friend or Foe? - The Gut Microbiome. In addition, he has spoken as a keynote speaker at international conferences for example during the World Biotechnology Congress in Berlin.,. His speeches addressed epigenetic biology and why everyone can positively influence their epigenetics through inner mindsets and healthy lifestyles.

Social Engagement
In 2007, Saningong founded the non-profit organisation Kamerun4AfrikaClub e. V (KAC)., which operates to provide children and young people in Cameroon and Africa with education and vocational training. In creating this organisation, Saningong gives back to the poor and needy since education has been his shield, his sword and his olive branch. He is also a member of the Anglophone Cameroon Cultural and Development Association (ACCADA) e. V., a non-governmental organisation founded in January 1998 in Hamburg promoting the socio-economic development in Cameroon.

Other projects
In 2021, he founded the company KAC-Afrika GmbH to stimulate research and development (R&D), exchange between African and European technological companies in collaboration with universities and research institutions so that new products and technologies, as well as technical services, can enter the market and thus create and secure jobs both in Africa and Europe. He saw a limitation in his philanthropic commitment, as the organisation Kamerun4AfrikaClub e. V. is dependent on donations. By founding a for-profit company of a similar name, he has expanded his activities and continues to strengthen the economic connection between Europe and Africa.

Awards and recognition
Saningong was named among the "100 Most Influential Africans" in Germany in 2015 and 2016 by the African Heritage magazine in Hamburg, Germany, for his socio-economic and philanthropic activities in Germany and Cameroon.

Books
Saningong is a published author of several books, which have been translated into German, English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian. Some of these books are:


 * Mach Was Draus!: Neue Perspektiven und Inspirationen für Deine Potenzialentwicklung, 2017, ISBN 9783961240548, Online Edition ISBN 9783961240562
 * Innere Türen Öffnen: Inspiriende Zitate und zeitlose Weisheiten für 356 Tage, Vol. 1, 2018, ISBN 978-1791515508
 * Unbox Your Potential: Inspirations Towards A Bright Perspective 2019, ISBN 9781090835123
 * Handbook for Personal Development: The Definitive Guide to Improving Yourself and Unleashing Your Inner Potential and Greatness, 2021, ISBN 9798739607058.
 * Decubre Tu Potencial ! Inspiración para una Perspectiva Llena de Luz, 2021, ISBN 9798715733313