My
Dear Young Compatriots,
I am addressing you barely a few days following the end of the 33rd edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, TotalEnergies AFCON,
Cameroon 2021, which our country hosted from 9 January to 6 February 2022.
On the same occasion a year ago, I expressed the wish that
TotalEnergies AFCON, Cameroon 2021 would be the most splendid edition of the
Africa Cup of Nations ever organized on our continent.
In the end, thanks to the strong mobilization and involvement of
all Cameroonians, especially the youth, the sports competition unfolded
satisfactorily in several cities of our country, and will certainly be
remembered as one of the most successful in the history of African football.
Indeed, there is reason to be satisfied and legitimately proud
about TotalEnergies AFCON, Cameroon 2021 as it was unquestionably not only a
great moment of communion for all, but also an excellent opportunity and a
splendid showcase for Africa and the entire world to appreciate Cameroon’s
plentiful endowments and, in particular, the legendary hospitality, the
vitality and dynamism of its people. The country thus demonstrated its capacity
to address major challenges.
Unfortunately, this major sporting event was marked by the death
of eight of our compatriots following a stampede at the South entrance to the
Olembe Stadium.
I wish, once again, to honour the memory of the deceased. I also
wish a speedy recovery to the injured, for whom I have ordered free
comprehensive medical care.
The investigation I ordered and the ensuing measures enabled the
reopening of the Olembe Stadium and better traffic flow to the stadium.
Therefore, I can say that this unfortunate incident apart,
TotalEnergies AFCON, Cameroon 2021 was a resounding success that brings honour
not only to Cameroon, but also to Africa as a whole.
Obviously, our common ambition was to lift the Football Africa Cup
of Nations and thus add a sixth trophy to the track record of our Indomitable
Lions.
However, fate decided otherwise.
I can understand the disappointment of some, if not, all
Cameroonians, especially as the AFCON was hosted on our soil.
Nonetheless, you are also aware that sport has its own realities
that we must accept with dignity and fair-play.
Moreover, football lovers know better than anyone else that you
can play well and win a match, just as you can play well and lose. That is why
I believe what we must remember at the end of this great sporting festival is
the delightful saga of the Indomitable Lions who, throughout, did fairly well.
Their fighting spirit and perseverance earned them an honourable
third position.
I heartily congratulate and urge them to step up preparations in
order to confidently engage in the sporting competitions that await them in the
coming months.
My Dear Young Compatriots,
Despite the lingering global economic crisis, compounded by the
adverse effects of the Coronavirus pandemic that has spared no country, your
problems and aspirations feature among the major priorities of the current
seven-year term.
In that regard, our country kept up its development efforts in
the course of the year just ended by leveraging the National Development
Strategy 2020-2030 and completing the decentralization process, in line with
the major thrusts of its resolute progress towards emergence in 2035.
Thanks to the proper management of our economy, we continued to
implement the Three-Year Special Youth Plan, which enabled the financing of
8430 projects, 119 economic clusters and 132 second-generation pioneer
villages, as well as the creation of close to 22 000 direct jobs.
Additionally, about forty Multipurpose Youth Empowerment Centres
were built and the National Youth Observatory was effectively set up.
The maiden field actions of the observatory have led to the
production of 50 000 youth Biometric Cards to facilitate access to many
basic social products and services at reduced costs.
With the increasingly visible participation of diasporic youth
in nation building, the Government has put in place an incentive framework for
their entrepreneurial initiatives through the Support Programme for the Return
and Integration of Diasporic Youth.
It is worth restating that Cameroon needs all its children,
including those from the Diaspora, who wish to participate and engage in the
national and republican drive for our country’s emergence.
Therefore, in the course of the year, the Government intends to
further support the call for projects initiative launched to enable diasporic
youth to participate in the development of our country.
This ambitious programme is expected, in the long term, to
encourage such youth, who so desire, to return and invest in Cameroon and
sustainably form part of the national economic fabric.
My Dear Young Compatriots,
Still concerning employment, substantial efforts are made each
year to create jobs and thus enable the youth to join the workforce.
Hence, thanks to the youth employment promotion policy included
in the Priority Action Plan 2030, 600 000 jobs are expected to be created
annually, with the involvement of Regional and Local Authorities.
Such actions will be intensified with the setting up of the
National Employment Council, which is expected to provide new solutions to
reverse the unemployment trend and improve the productivity of our enterprises.
However, I am aware that the main obstacle in this regard has
always been access to the most common funding for small and medium-size
enterprises.
That is why, in the short term, the Government plans to mobilize
specific national, bilateral and multilateral funding to support the
establishment of a guarantee fund for young entrepreneurs.
The said Fund would provide project initiators and start-ups
with the requisite guarantee to raise capital from financial markets or obtain
financing from traditional banks.
However, many programmes are already being implemented as part
of the day-to-day activities of several ministries with high employment
potential. The purpose of all of these actions is to foster and boost youth
entrepreneurship.
By the way, I am pleased to note that in 2021 all these
programmes and projects were financed to the tune of 190 billion CFA francs.
This, unquestionably, is a significant effort that reflects the
critical role small and medium-size enterprises play in our economy.
However, Government intends to mobilize additional resources for
SMEs with the support of our development partners.
This is because, definitely, small and medium-size enterprises,
notably youth entrepreneurship, can and should serve as key drivers of our
country’s economic and social transformation.
My Dear Young Compatriots,
The availability of high quality skills that would address new
development needs is one of the major challenges currently facing our country.
To that end, we must expand our training offer to provide all
young people with the opportunity to acquire useful and relevant skills that
would open up employment opportunities in every sphere.
In this light, I recently decided to create three new State
universities in the East, North, and South Regions to provide a framework for
higher learning conducive to the training of competent and competitive
graduates in each of our regions.
In this regard, as you are aware, today’s new global economy is
digitally oriented, thus urging us to encourage young people to seize all the
opportunities offered by digital communications, through their socio-economic
adaptation and application.
I am pleased to note that many of our youth have a remarkable
mastery of digital technology, particularly through the creation of numerous
start-ups in various fields.
I urge them to be more inventive and creative in the digital
economy sector, which has bright prospects for the future.
Yet, while we may commend the rapid adoption of digitalisation
by our youth, we condemn the abuses noted in the use of such technological
advances, especially on social media where vice, hate speech, and verbal
violence abound and are increasingly rife.
Accordingly, I urge our youth to use social media in a
responsible, informed, and constructive manner, as their primary role is to
provide platforms and opportunities for discussion, information, and
communication in a wide range of fields.
My Dear Young Compatriots,
The numerous actions I have just recalled, without being exhaustive,
and which, for the most part, are designed to meet your job aspirations and
expectations, serve as adequate evidence of the Government of the Republic’s
constant solicitude for you.
This is certainly in the best interests of each and every one of
you, as well as of the entire Nation whose future lies in your hands.
It also underscores the role young people are expected to play
in view of the Nation’s challenges.
According to credible observers, Cameroon has made remarkable
strides in its economic and social development. It is resolutely forging ahead
towards emergence by 2035.
Despite a challenging economic context, our country is
undergoing rapid transformation, and numerous opportunities are available to
you in all fields.
Take advantage of them not only to achieve personal development,
but also to contribute to the task of nation building which constitutes a key
challenge for all Cameroonians without exception.
I further urge you to strive to preserve our invaluable achievements
of peace, national unity, and institutional stability, for it is thanks to them
that we have made the remarkable progress of which we are so proud.
Likewise, turn a deaf ear to the clarion calls for
destabilisation and antagonism from incorrigible detractors who claim to know
everything and take delight in systematic criticism.
You must also reclaim our social and republican values which,
regrettably, it must be said, are fading in the mindsets of today’s youth.
I am thinking particularly of patriotism, civic mindedness,
respect for public property and the general interest, culture of probity,
preservation of our customs and traditions, family mindedness, and respect for
the elderly, to name but a few of such values that should constantly inspire
and guide you.
Furthermore, it is also obvious that the perception of our
country is influenced by how some of you portray it, both at home and abroad,
which unfortunately, has been at odds with reality in recent times.
In other words, you must be aware of your role of promoting
Cameroon’s image and influence wherever you may be.
Follow the example of some of your valiant compatriots like
Francis NGANNOU, Francis TCHOFFO and Eric Salvador TCHOUYO who recently won
titles in their respective disciplines. Their outstanding performances and
sense of duty and sacrifice highlighted their great sense of patriotism and did
Cameroon proud.
My Dear Young Compatriots,
I cannot conclude this message without reiterating how near and
dear to my heart your problems are, and my determination as well as that of the
Government to find solutions to them. This is because your future, and
consequently that of the entire Nation, depends on it.
I wish you all a Happy Youth Day.
No comments:
Post a Comment