It is within the framework of the closure of the activities of the training camps for young entrepreneurs and the project to support the socio-economic resilience of vulnerable young people in North Cameroon that Mounouna Foutsou presented parchments to young entrepreneurs who were distinguished by innovative projects last November 5 in the city of Garoua.
Launched on December 9, 2019 at the Palais Polyvalent des Sports under the Very High Patronage of the President of the Republic His Excellency Mr. Paul BIYA, the Youth Connekt Cameroon program was implemented for a pilot phase of three (03) years in the period ranging from 2021 to 2023.
This phase led to appreciable results which favored the extension of the program for a period of five (05) years, with a view to to increase its impact on young people.
During the pilot phase, one of the major achievements of the Program in terms of socio-economic integration of young people was the creation of 1,043 jobs.
These results are the result of an innovative approach highlighted during the pilot phase, namely the bootcamps.
The bocamp is both a training camp and a competition dedicated to the development of entrepreneurial culture, the strengthening of technical and managerial capacities and the support of young entrepreneurs in the design or strengthening of their businesses.
Its implementation over the last three years has not only sparked greater emulation among young people around entrepreneurship, but also encouraged the emergence of several young entrepreneurs, some of whom can be presented as experiments.
The Socio-Economic Resilience Support Project for vulnerable young people in Northern Cameroon was set up as part of international cooperation between Germany and the Government of Cameroon, with a view to helping Vulnerable populations of the 03 northern regions hit by the economic, social and security crises of Boko-Haram.
This project has a fund of 5 million euros (a little over 3 billion FCFA) of external financing and 165 million FCFA of government counterpart funds.
The aim is to sustainably improve the economic and social resilience of vulnerable young people and to strengthen the technical, entrepreneurial and managerial capacities of vulnerable young people while facilitating their professional and economic training.
This new phase of the Program intends, among other things, to increase the access of 5,000 young people to employment and self-employment opportunities and to stimulate the innovation capacity of 1,000 young people in priority areas of development.
‘Youth Connekt is a Support Response from Cameroonian Youth_’ The words of the MINJEC Boss who indicated that the goal was to reach 5000 young people integrated and molded in the spirit of entrepreneurship.
"The northern pole zonal bootcamp that we are closing today is the last one that we are organizing. With the 45 projects selected for the national bootcamp, I am sure that among you we will have champions,”.
For those who were not selected, he promises them that these projects will be supported and financed once they are mature.
It is important to underline that these different projects are consistent with the Pronec-Reappeler launched some time ago at the Ministry of Youth and Civic Education. It is an opportunity for young people to highlight their talents, their knowledge, their innovations for the benefit of local consumption and the import-substitution policy so advocated by the Head of State.