Our story
A faculty rooted in heritage, built for tomorrow.
Since 2022, St Alessandro University Institute — a distinctive Anglo-Saxon university institute in Douala — has blended Cameroonian community values with Italian orthopaedic and clinical rigor.
Welcome to St Alessandro University Institute
St Alessandro University Institute is a distinctive Anglo-Saxon university institute. S.A.U officially opened its doors on the 17th of October 2022, close to a year after the opening of St Alessandro Clinic on the 1st of December 2021. It is located in Douala, the capital of the Littoral region of Cameroon.
The institute was founded in loving memory of Prof. Alessandro Faldini by Dr. Mutsu Venantius Bumaha and Dr. Florence Nsuh Mutsu, drawing on long-standing ties with the orthopaedic institutes of Bologna and Galeazzi in Italy. Through ORTHOPAEDICS ONLUS (ortopedici.org) and the patronage of Prof. Cesare Faldini, the institute brings world-class orthopaedic and clinical training to Cameroon.
Today S.A.U trains nurses, midwives, allied-health and food-science professionals — combining evidence-based curricula with hands-on clinical practice at St Alessandro Clinic and partner hospitals.
Our heritage
Italian rigor, Cameroonian heart
A patronage that reaches from Prof. Cesare Faldini and the Rizzoli Institute in Bologna to the Promoter, staff and chaplaincy of our Bonaberi-Douala campus.
Mission
To inspire students to dream more, learn more, do more — and become more — through compassionate, evidence-based education.
Vision
An African university institute renowned for shaping the leaders of health-system transformation across the continent and beyond.
Values
Integrity, compassion, excellence, lifelong inquiry, and global citizenship — embedded in every classroom and clinical encounter.
A timeline
From a clinic to a university institute
In just a few short years, St Alessandro has grown from a clinic into a full university institute serving the Littoral region and beyond.
- 21
2021
St Alessandro Clinic officially opens its doors on the 1st of December 2021 in Bonaberi-Douala.
- 22
2022
St Alessandro University Institute (S.A.U) opens on the 17th of October 2022, founded in memory of Prof. Alessandro Faldini.
- 22
2022
Partnership established with Italian orthopaedic institutions in Bologna through ORTHOPAEDICS ONLUS (ortopedici.org).
- 23
2023
Faculty of Medical Sciences launches HND & BSc programmes in nursing, midwifery, imaging, pharmacy and physiotherapy.
- 23
2023
School of Agriculture & Food Science launches, including the Floven wines food-technology unit.
- 24
2024
Masters programmes introduced, including MCh. Orthopaedic Surgery for MD/MBBS holders.
- 24
2024
Mentorship partnerships deepened with University of Buea and GHC Hospital, India.
Leadership
The team behind St Alessandro
Educators, clinicians and operational leaders united by a single mission — to graduate the most competent and compassionate practitioners in the region.
Accreditations
Recognized where it matters
Ministry of Higher Education (MINESUP), Cameroon
ANBG, Gabon
University of Buea (mentorship)
Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute, Italy