Dr. Henry Bang

About

Teaching in the following degree courses:

• MSc Disaster Management and Resilience
• MSc Emergency Management and Resilience
• MSc Crowded Places and Public Safety
• PGCert Disaster Risk and Resilience
• PGCert Crowded Places and Public Safety
• PGCert Emergency and Incident Management
• PGCert Emergency Management and Resilience
• PGCert Emergency Preparedness and Management
• BSc (Hons) Disaster and Emergency Management

Career overview

Dr Henry Ngenyam Bang is a distinguished scholar and recognised thought leader in disaster, risk and emergency management. He has extensive experience in teaching, research, and professional practice. Over the past 15 years, he has worked in Africa and the UK, gaining considerable higher education teaching experience in disaster, risk and emergency Management.

Before joining Coventry University in 2023, Dr Bang taught disaster, risk, and emergency management courses at the Bournemouth University Disaster Management Centre (BUDMC) for eight years, where he instructed both MSc and BSc students. He has utilised innovative pedagogical techniques, such as problem- and inquiry-based learning, to enhance his students' learning experiences. This approach has helped students combine, consolidate, assimilate, and integrate contemporary knowledge in disaster management. Henry is also experienced in supervising PhD, MSc, and BSc dissertations in disaster, risk and emergency management. He has also served as an external PhD examiner in disaster management at universities in the UK and South Africa.

Dr. Bang has an outstanding record of research output, with over four dozen contributions, including 26 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. He has presented numerous academic papers at top international conferences across Africa, Europe, Asia, and the USA.

Henry’s academic credentials include a BSc and MSc in Geology obtained in Africa, a second MSc in Environment and Development, and a PhD in International Development (Research in Disaster Management) from the University of East Anglia in the UK. Additionally, he earned a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) from Bournemouth University in 2019 and is a Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy.

Research

Dr Bang's interdisciplinary research interests encompass various themes, including disaster risk management, governance of disaster risks, institutional and policy frameworks for disaster management, natural hazard-induced disasters, climate change and risks, crisis communication, complex emergencies, and the nexus between disasters and development. He is particularly interested in the trajectories of vulnerability and resilience to disaster risks in developing countries.

Dr. Bang is actively involved in research and has a strong background in disaster management, research which he developed during his PhD studies. While at BUDMC, he contributed to several disaster management research projects, collaborating with stakeholders at national, regional, and local levels in West African countries. He was the project director and Principal Investigator for some of the GCRF-funded projects. Some of the research projects that Dr Bang has participated in between 2018 and 2022 include:

• GATE-KEEP-AFRICA Initiative: Unlocking Gateways to Resilient Cities in Africa Project
• Unlocking the Gateways to Building Resilience: Integrating Resistance Factors into Disaster Management and Risk Assessments in West Africa (AFRIGATE).
• Driving African Capacity Building in Disaster Management (AFRICAB): Integrating Single Points of Failure Diagnostics into African Flood and Heath Emergency Management and Improving Resilience of Poverty-Stricken Communities.
• Enhancing Livelihoods Resilience of Protracted Internally Displaced Populations and Refugees in West Africa (ELIED)-Was Project Director and Principal Investigator.
• Stakeholder Analysis for Maximum Impact (SEMI)- Was Project Director.

External activities - charities/memberships

• Permanent Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy (FHEA).
• Member of the International Association for Preparedness and Response (DERA)
• Member of the Global Alliance for Disaster Risk Reduction Institutes (GADRI).
• Member of the UK Alliance for Disaster Research (UKADR).
• Member of the International Studies Association (ISA).
• Member of the Development Studies Association (DSA)
• Member of the Geological Association of Africa (GAA)
• Member of the Geological Association of Cameroon (GAC)

Publications and press

Favourite Published Peer Review Articles in International Journals

1. Bang, H. (2024) Sustainable development goals, disaster risk management, and indigenous knowledge: a critical assessment of the interlinkages. Sustainable Earth Reviews 7, 29 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s42055-024-00101-x
2. Fonchingong Che C, Bang HN. (2024) Towards a “Social Justice Ecosystem Framework” for Enhancing Livelihoods and Sustainability in Pastoralist Communities. Societies, 14(11):239. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc14110239.
3. Bang, H. (2024) Displacement-induced destitution in Cameroon: Seeking durable livelihood solutions for internally displaced persons from the Anglophone Crisis. Cogent Social Sciences, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2024.2411861
4. Bang, H. (2023) Strengthening Disaster Management Discourse: An Evaluation of Disaster Education in Africa’s Regional Platforms for Disaster Risk Reduction. African Journal of Education and Practice, 9(3), 1–29. https://doi.org/10.47604/ajep.2030
5. Bang, H. (2022) Applying the novel IDEA model for instructional health risk and crisis communication to explore the effectiveness of the COVID-19 crisis communication in Cameroon. Journal of Emergency Management, 20 (7). https://doi.org/10.5055/jem.0648
6. Bang, H., and Balgah, R. (2022) The ramification of Cameroon’s Anglophone crisis: Conceptual analysis of a looming “Complex Disaster Emergency”. Journal of International Humanitarian Action. 7 (6). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41018-022-00114-1
7. Bang, H., (2022) A concise appraisal of Cameroon's hazard risk profile: Multi-hazard inventories, causes, consequences and implications for disaster management. GeoHazards, 3 (1), 55-87. https://doi.org/10.3390/geohazards3010004
8. Bang, H. (2021) A gap analysis of the legislative, policy, institutional and crises management frameworks for disaster risk management in Cameroon. Progress in Disaster Science, 11: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pdisas.2021.100190.
9. Bang, H., and Burton, N. (2021) Contemporary flood risk perceptions in England: Implications for flood risk management foresight. Climate Risk Management, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crm.2021.100317
10. Mbah, M., Bang, H., Ndi, H., and Ndzo, J. (2021) Community health education for health crisis management: The case of COVID-19 in Cameroon. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0272684X211031106
11. Ndi, H., Ndi, R., Bang, H., Mbah, M. and Ndzo, J. (2021) Health and economic imperatives for households in the context of the anti-Covid-19 strategy in Cameroon - The case of Yaoundé. Journal of Humanities and Applied Social Sciences, 3 (5): 356-375. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHASS-01-2021-0016
12. Reddin, K., Bang, H. and Miles, L. (2021) Evaluating simulations as preparation for health crises like COVID-19: Insights on incorporating simulation exercises for effective response. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 59. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2021.102245
13. Bang, H. (2020) An overview of the COVID-19 crisis management in Cameroon: Decentralised governance response needed. Annals of Disaster Risk Sciences, 3 (2). https://doi.org/10.51381/adrs.v3i2.34
14. Bang, H., Mbah, M., Ndi, H. and Ndzo, J. (2020) Gauging Cameroon’s resilience to the COVID-19 pandemic: Implications for enduring a novel health crisis. Transforming Government: People, Process and Policy. https://doi.org/10.1108/TG-08-2020-0196
15. Bang, H., Miles, L. and Gordon, R. (2020) Challenges in managing technological disasters in Cameroon: Case study of Cameroon's worst train Crash—the Eséka train disaster. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 44:1-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2019.101410
16. Bang, H., Miles, L. and Gordon, R. (2019) Disaster risk reduction in Cameroon: Are contemporary disaster management frameworks accommodating the Sendai Framework Agenda 2030? International Journal of Disaster Risk Science, 10: 462-477. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13753-019-00238-w
17. Bang, H., Miles, L. and Gordon, R. (2019) Hurricane occurrence and seasonal activity: An analysis of the 2017 Atlantic Hurricane Season. American Journal of Climate Change,8:454-481. https://doi.org/10.4236/ajcc.2019.84025
18. Bang, H., Miles, L. and Gordon, R. (2019) Evaluating local vulnerability and organisational resilience to frequent flooding in Africa: The case of Northern Cameroon. Foresight, 21(2), 266-284, https://doi.org/10.5897/JASD2018.0510
19. Bang, H., Miles, L. and Gordon, R. (2018) Enhancing local livelihoods resilience and food security in the face of frequent flooding in Africa: A disaster management perspective. Journal of African Studies and Development, 10 (7), 85-100. https://doi.org/10.5897/JASD2018.0510
20. Balgah, R., Bang, H., and Fondo, S. (2018) Drivers for coping with flood hazards: Beyond the analysis of single cases. Jàmbá : Journal of Disaster Risk Studies, 11 (1), 678, https://doi.org/10.4102/jamba.v11i1.678
21. Bang, H., Miles, L. and Gordon, R. (2017) The irony of flood risks in African dryland environments: Human security in North Cameroon. World Journal of Engineering and Technology, 5 (3), 109-121, https://doi.org/10.4236/wjet.2017.53B013
22. Sabi, H., Mlay, S., Tsuma, C., Bang, H.(2015) Conceptualising user preference and trust in western designed banking software systems in developing countries. Journal of Internet Banking and Commerce, 20 (126), http://doi.org/10.4172/2165-7866.1000126
23. Bang, H. (2014) General overview of the disaster management framework in Cameroon, Disasters, 38: 562-586. https://doi.org/10.1111/disa.12061
24. Bang, H. (2013) Governance of disaster risk reduction in Cameroon: the need to empower local government, Jàmbá: Journal of Disaster Risk Studies, 5 (2), 1-10, http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/jamba.v5i2.77
25. Bang, H. (2012) Disaster management in Cameroon: the Lake Nyos disaster experience, Disaster Prevention and Management, 21(4), 489-506, https://doi.org/10.1108/09653561211256189
26. Bang, H. and Few, R. (2012) Social risks and challenges in post-disaster resettlement: the case of Lake Nyos, Cameroon, Journal of Risk Research, 15(9):1141-1157, https://doi.org/10.1080/13669877.2012.705315.

Books

1. Humphrey, N.D., Bang, H.N., Zebulon, S.T., Tasha, A. M. (2023) Health Diplomacy in Africa: Trends, Challenges, and Perspectives. Studies in Diplomacy and International Relations., Palgrave Macmillan, Cham https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-41249-3
2. Bang, H. N. (2016) 30 Years after the Lake Nyos Disaster: What prospects for rehabilitation and reintegration in the Region? Disaster management, social vulnerability, risk perception and relocation decisions in Cameroon. US: Book Venture Publishing. https://www.bookventure.com/bookstore/title/103/30-years-after-the-lake-nyos-disaster-what-prospects-for-rehabilitation-and-reintegration-in-the-region.html

Book Chapters

1. Bang, H.N. (2023). Crisis Communication in Twenty-First Century Diplomacy: Implications for Digital Transformation of Foreign Policy. In: Ndi, H.N., Bang, H.N., Takwa, Z.S., Mbur, A.T. (eds) Health Diplomacy in Africa. Studies in Diplomacy and International Relations. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-41249-3_7
2. Bang, H.N., Ndi, H.N., Kengo, E.E. (2023). Health Data Sharing for Public Health Resilience: Benefits, Challenges, and Prospects in Africa. In: Ndi, H.N., Bang, H.N., Takwa, Z.S., Mbur, A.T. (eds) Health Diplomacy in Africa. Studies in Diplomacy and International Relations. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-41249-3_9
3. Ndi, H.N., Bang, H.N., Kengo, E.E. (2023). Diseases, Epidemics, and Diplomacy in Africa. In: Ndi, H.N., Bang, H.N., Takwa, Z.S., Mbur, A.T. (eds) Health Diplomacy in Africa. Studies in Diplomacy and International Relations. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-41249-3_5
4. Bang, H.N. (2022). The Application of Indigenous Knowledge for Disaster Risk Management and Sustainable Development: Insights from Developing Countries. In: Mbah, M.F., Leal Filho, W., Ajaps, S. (eds) Indigenous Methodologies, Research and Practices for Sustainable Development. World Sustainability Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-12326-9_19
5. Bang, H.N. (2022) Chapter 4, Policy and Institutional frameworks for disaster risk management in Cameroon: Challenges and prospects. In: Balgah, R., Kimengsi, J. (eds.) Disaster management in Sub-Saharan Africa: Policies, institutions, and processes. Emerald Group Publishing Ltd, London, pp 97-122. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80262-817-320221004
6. Bang, H. (2018) Chapter 9 (Introduction to Floods). In: Introduction to disaster management for military staff officers, Gordon, R. (eds.) Published by Bournemouth University Disaster Management Centre (BUDMC), UK.
7. Bang, H. (2018) Chapter 10 (Tropical Cyclones). In: Introduction to disaster management for military staff officers, Gordon, R. (eds.) Published by Bournemouth University Disaster Management Centre (BUDMC), UK.
8. Miles, L., Gordon, R., Bang, H. (2017) Blaming active volcanoes or active volcanic blame? Volcanic crisis communication and blame management in the Cameroon. In: Fearnley, C., Bird, D., Jolly, G., Haynes, K. and McGuire, B., (eds.) Observing the Volcano World, Volcanic Crisis Communication. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/11157_2017_2
9. Bang, H.N (2015) Disaster management in Cameroon: The Lake Nyos disaster experience: In Emerald Group (eds.), New Perspectives in Global Environmental Disasters, Emerald Group Publishing Ltd, London, pp 57-77. https://books.emeraldinsight.com/page/detail/New-Perspectives-in-Global-Environmental-Disasters/?k=9781785608094.

Project Reports

1. Miles, L., Bang, H., Martin, J. (2021) Enhancing disaster management in Sierra Leone: Driving African Capacity Building in Disaster Management (AFRICAB) Final Report 2021. https://a3d24836-03f1-45ed-8d67-93fc2ef428b2.filesusr.com/ugd/5adef3_7dfc20467ec044e2938dacc29014bcdd.pdf
2. Miles, L., Rogers, J., Travers, M., Bang, H. et al. (2020) Driving African capacity building in disaster management (AFRICAB): Freetown city facilitators guide to disaster management https://a3d24836-03f1-45ed-8d67-93fc2ef428b2.filesusr.com/ugd/5adef3_9747514492c94690b5acf20c09067837.pdf

Media Engagements and Publications

1. Bang, H.N. (2022) Cameroon’s ‘exploding lakes’: disaster expert warns deadly gas release could cause another tragedy. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/cameroons-exploding-lakes-disaster-expert-warns-deadly-gas-release-could-cause-another-tragedy-190154
2. Bang, H.N. (2022) Role of 'Human Factors' in Devastating Results of Flooding in Nigeria. Sputnik International. https://sputniknews.com/20221014/role-of-human-factors-in-devastating-results-of-flooding-in-nigeria-explained-1101842844.html
3. Bang, H.N. (2022) The environment is the silent casualty in the Cameroon Anglophone crisis. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/the-environment-is-the-silent-casualty-in-the-cameroon-anglophone-crisis-186336
4. Bang, H.N. (2022) “Les lacs "qui explosent" au Cameroun: un expert en catastrophes met en garde contre les rejets de gaz mortels” The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/les-lacs-qui-explosent-au-cameroun-un-expert-en-catastrophes-met-en-garde-contre-les-rejets-de-gaz-mortels-191100

Favourite Conference Presentations/Papers/Workshops

1. Participant: Conflict-Induced Displacement and Socio-Economic Resilience: Learning from Neglected Conflicts in Cameroon and Myanmar” University of Cologne, Germany. 28/11/2024-29/11/2024. https://cif.uni-koeln.de/index.php?id=18674
2. Bang H (2022) Stakeholder analysis for maximum impact workshop in Yaoundé, Cameroon—Workshop Organiser (15 July 2022) https://twitter.com/DrHenryBang1/status/1554046050771640321
3. Bang, H, Baker-Beall, C., Miles, L., Balgah, R. (2022) The political dynamics of disaster management research in Cameroon: Evidence from the ELIED project. 13th Dealing with Disasters Conference, Northumbria University Newcastle, UK (9 June 2022)
4. Miles, Lee., Carew, J., Bang, H., Miles, J. and Travers, M. (2022) Undertaking disaster management research in African environments: Lessons from AFRICAB and EVALDIS in Sierra Leone. 13th Dealing with Disasters Conference, Northumbria, University Newcastle, UK (9 June 2022)
5. Bang, H., Miles, L., Gordon, R. (2019) Disaster risk reduction in West Africa: Are contemporary disaster management frameworks accommodating the Sendai framework agenda 2030? 4th Global Summit of Research Institutes for DRR, 13-15 March 2019. Kyoto, Japan.
6. Bang, H., Miles, L., Gordon, R. (2019) Viewing community resilience in the South through the “eyes” of mega storms: A conceptual Analysis, UK Alliance for Disaster Research, 17 July 2019, Northumbria University, UK.
7. Bang, H., Miles, L., Gordon, R. (2018) Disaster risk reduction: A challenge in African disaster management analysis of the October 2016 Eseka train accident in Cameroon, UK Alliance for Disaster Research Conference 27 Mar 2018, Bristol, UK.
8. Bang, H., Miles, L., Gordon, R. (2018) Challenges in managing technological disasters in Africa: A case study of the Eséka train accident in Cameroon, 4th Biennial Conference of the Southern Africa Society for Disaster Reduction (SASDiR),17-19 October 2018, Durban, South Africa.
9. Miles, L., Bang, H., Gordon, R. (2018) Understanding single points of failure in disaster management in Africa: A driver for research-informed professional practice and capacity-building, 4th Biennial Conference of the Southern Africa Society for Disaster Reduction (SASDiR),17-19 October 2018, Durban, South Africa.
10. Clarke, M., Bang, H., Miles, L. (2018) A glass of crisis management with a policy entrepreneurial twist? Entrepreneurial resilience in Ghana, International Studies Association (ISA) 59th Annual Convention, San Francisco, USA, 4-7 April 2018, Hilton San Francisco, USA.
11. Bang, H. (2017) Learning from disasters: Analysing the London Grenfell Tower fire disaster (GTD) within the realm of disaster risk management, World Bosai Forum, Japan. 27 November 2017.
12. Miles, L., Bang, H. (2017) A glass of crisis management with a foreign policy twist? Entrepreneurial resilience in Cameroon, International Studies Association (ISA) 58th Annual Convention, 22-25 February 2017 Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
13. Bang, H., Miles, L., Gordon, R. (2017) A glass of crisis management with a foreign policy twist? Entrepreneurial resilience in the Cameroon, European International Studies Association (EISA), Cardiff University, Cardiff, 7 June 2017, UK.
14. Bang, H., Miles, L. (2016) Disaster risk perception in Cameroon and its implications for the rehabilitation of the Lake Nyos Disaster Survivors, Stal, M., Sigrist D, Wahlen, S., Portman, J., Glover, J., Bernabe, N., Moy de Vitry, D., Ammann, W. (ed), Extended Abstracts Collection. Proceedings of the 6th International Disaster and Risk Conference IDRC Davos, Davos Switzerland, p73-76.
15. Sabi, H., Mlay, S., Bang, H., Tsuma, C. (2014) Use of Western designed software packages in developing countries: implications for their effectiveness in a different context. Information and Communication Technology for Africa Conference, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
16. Bang, H. (2013) Governance of disaster risk reduction in Cameroon: The need to empower local government, 1st biennial conference of the Southern Africa Society for Disaster Reduction, Northwest University, South Africa.
17. Bang, H., Few, R., Conway, D. (2010) Present risks in Lake Nyos: Is Cameroon prepared for another great disaster? In Walter J et al., (Ed) Proceedings of the International Disaster and Risk Conference, Short and Long Abstracts, Davos Switzerland. Global Risk Forum, Switzerland.
18. Bang, H, Few, R., Conway, D. (2009) The human cost of “natural” disasters in Cameroon: What implications for the disaster survivors: In Walter J et al., (Ed) Proceedings of the International Disaster and Risk Conference, Short and Long Abstracts, Chengdu, China.
19. Bang, H. (2009) Warning systems in natural disaster affected local communities in Cameroon: Can they mitigate feature risks to Life? PhD Conference on Current Debates in International Development, 25th - 26th June 2009.
20. Bang, H. (2008) Social vulnerability and risk perception to natural hazards in Cameroon two decades following the tragic Lake Nyos Gas disaster: What future prospect for the displaced disaster victims? 2008 Summer Academy at the United Nations University-Institute for the Environment and Human Security, Germany.
21. Bang, H. (2008) Disaster risk management in Cameroon two decades following the tragic Lake Nyos gas disaster: in Walter J et al., (Ed) Proceedings of the International Disaster and Risk Conference, DAVOS 2008. Short and Long Abstracts, Global Risk Forum, Switzerland. pp 400.