Youth Day: President Paul Biya encourages self employment
By Eratus Ndueh
The President of the Republic of Cameroon Paul Biya has urged young Cameroonians to venture more into self-employed activities because it constitutes one of the best paths to socio-professional integration, given the impossibility for the State and the private sector to absorb the ever-increasing volume of young people who arrive on the market each year, seeking for employment.
He was speaking on the eve of the celebration of the 58th edition of National Youth Day, on Saturday February 10, 2024 at 8 p.m.
The president in his speech saluted various bodies putting in efforts to facilitate the Social Integration of young people.
“I would like to take this opportunity to salute the action of the various bodies set up to facilitate the social integration of young people. This is the case of the National Youth Council, which currently has 14,000 youth organizations and decentralized structures. This is also the case for Municipal Councils and Regional Youth Councils. They made it possible to voluntarily engage nearly eight thousand young people in learning the management of public affairs and the development projects of their grassroots communities.” said president Paul Biya.
He added that, “The Three-Year Special Youth Plan, launched in 2016, is part of this logic. It has already made it possible to finance thousands of projects for young people. In the same vein, the Entrepreneurship Promotion Program contributed to the creation of more than 12,000 new businesses in 2023. These generated nearly 22,000 direct jobs.”
While regrating that the progress is certainly not encouraging. But, is well aware, they remain insufficient compared to the number of young people who are looking for job.
With so much love in his heart for young Cameroonians, the president also encouraged the youths to grab learning opportunities so as to be able to be integrated.
“In addition to the entry into service of the brand new National Center for Training of Trainers and Program Development, I am pleased to note that of the Professional Information and Orientation Centers in Maroua, Ngaoundéré, Yaoundé, Douala, Bamenda and Bafoussam. From now on, young people looking for job will be able to learn about the various opportunities offered by the job market” he further expounded.
The president also announced that school fees in Vocational Training colleges have been reduced from CFA 500k to 50k, with the aim of allowing as many young people as possible to access quality training.
However, He said that our youth cannot take full advantage of the opportunities offered to them if they do not fully embrace the civic and moral values which are the basis of life in society.
While appealing to parents and more generally to all educators, to fully assume their responsibilities. Despite the inexorable evolution of mentalities and behaviors, they must not give up and must continue to educate and mentor the youth. They must continue to instill in young people the values necessary for a successful journey through the trials of life.
