Tchiroma enjoins youths to heed Biya’s call for self-employment

The Minister of Employment and Vocational Training, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, has said unemplyment can be hugely reduced in Cameroon if the youth decide to embrace entrepreneurship.

Paul Biya addressed youths on February 10th, saying they need to grab opportunities in domains of mining, agriculture and digital economy to create jobs for themselves.

“I must recall that neither the state nor existing private sector enterprises alone can employ all the young people graduating from the traditional educational system each year. That is why I’m urging you to embrace self-employment,” Biya said.

Reacting after the speech, the Minister of Employment pointed out that “there are millions of Cameronians who are jobless. This is not because they dont want to work but because they don’t have a training that permits them to be recruited by the private sector or to create jobs for themselves”.

Tchiroma advised that professional training should be taken seriously:

“Without professional training, there is no creation of wealth, without professional training, there will be no clothes, no chocolate, no cars. Professional eduction is the key.”

A number of youths have agreed with Biya’s concept of job creation but highlight the lack of finances.

“It is a very great idea for youths to take the initiative to create jobs for themselves but there is a problem. You have a business idea, you want to start up as a youth and you don’t have the means to grow your idea into a real business,” Etombi Mark in Nkongsamba said.

Another youth, Marlone, based in Bertoua, added that “if taxation policies become favourable, it might encourage more youths to consider self-employment”.

This year’s Youth Day was in its 57th edition and was celebrated under the theme “youth, moral, civic and entrepreneurship rearmament, a guarantee for discipline in building a united and prosperous Cameroon”.