Born on December 17, 1951 in Ebanga (Okola), Lekie division, Cameroon, TOUNA MAMA was bred in the purely Roman Catholic tradition. After undergoing primary education in Elig-Mfomo catholic School where he passed the "CEPE" (First School Living Certificate) in 1965, he joins the Akono Saint-Joseph Seminar to be successful in the "BEPC" (General Certificate of Education - Ordinary Level) in 1969. He ends up secondary education in Sainte-Thérèse Seminar of Mvolye, Yaounde with his "Baccalauréat A4- German" (General Certificate of Education - Advanced Level), obtained in 1973.
The following year in 1974, he is admitted in the Noviciate in the Order of Friars (Dominicans).

His university education is carried out in the Faculty of Law and Economics of the University of Yaounde where he passed a four-year Degree in Law and Economics, option Economics, with a fairly well grade, in 1978.
After his "D.E.A." in Economics (Grade A -) in 1979, he brilliantly defends a 3rd cycle Doctorate thesis in 1981 (Grade A +) on Development Planning and Underdevelopment External Trade at the very University of Yaounde which engages him the same year as Assistant Lecturer.
In 1985 at the University of Bordeaux I, he defends a "Doctorat d'Etat" thesis with grade A+ on Developing Countries Sustainable Indebtedness.
The following year, he becomes a fully-fledged lecturer. In 1991, he is second of the Aggregation competitive exam for Economics and Management faculties, which makes him Associate in 1992.
Mr TOUNA MAMA has been a fully-fledged professor at the Faculty of Economics and Management of the University of Yaounde II since 1998.

Administrative-wise, he is the Special Adviser of the Prime Minister of Cameroon, the head of Government since December, the 31st, 2003. Professor Touna Mama was the Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Management of The University of Yaounde II from 1996 to September 2003, after deputizing from 1993 to 1996, and having served as Vice-Dean in charge of academic affairs, research and cooperation in the Faculty of Law and Economics of the former University of Yaounde.

From 1988 to 1991, he held the duties of Division Head for Probation and permanent training at the National Centre for Administration and Magistracy (CENAM).

As a Keynesian Economist, Pr TOUNA MAMA lectures on the History of the Economic Thought, Development Economics, Macroeconomics and Contemporary economic Issues, in various French-speaking universities of Sub-Saharan Africa and in the Montesquieu University-Bordeaux IV.

Pr TOUNA MAMA has published four books and about thirty scientific articles. He has so far conducted eleven 3rd cycle Doctorate theses, two for the "Doctorat d'Etat", about fifty D.E.A. essays and a hundred for the post-graduate certificate (Maîtrise).

He is a member of many learned societies, networks and scientific councils including "l'Association Française de Sciences Economiques - AFSE" (The French Association for Economics), "l'Association Charles Gide pour l'étude de la pensée économique" (The Charles Gide Association for the Study of the economic Thought), "L'Observatoire économique et statistique d'Afrique subsaharienne - AFRISTAT" (Sub-Saharan Africa Economic and Statistic Observatory); consultant to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).

He is also the Editor of the Revue Africaine des Sciences Economiques et de Gestion, a half-yearly bilingual publication.

Married and father of four, Professor TOUNA MAMA is Cameroonian Knight and Officer of the Order of Valour. And he is also knight in the Order of Academic Palms of the French Republic and Knight in the Order of Academic Palms of the Africa and Madagascar Conference for Higher Education.