Samuel Nguiffo is a prominent Cameroonian environmental lawyer and activist widely recognized for his lifelong defense of the Congo Basin rainforests and indigenous community rights. Born in Bafoussam, he earned a doctorate in law and political science from the University of Yaoundé. In 1994, in response to a massive surge in industrial logging that threatened local ecosystems and traditional livelihoods, Nguiffo co-founded the Centre for Environment and Development (CED). Under his leadership, this Yaoundé-based non-governmental organization became a pivotal force against illegal logging, corruption, and unsustainable land-grabbing across Central Africa.

His courageous efforts to empower forest-dependent communities—particularly the indigenous Baka people—and to reform Cameroon’s forestry policies earned him international acclaim. In 1999, Nguiffo was awarded the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize, often regarded as the “Green Nobel Prize.” Today, he remains an influential voice in environmental law, regularly publishing research on land governance, the impacts of large-scale agro-industrial investments, and the critical need to safeguard community-managed ecosystems.