The President of the National Youth Council, Abdoul Razack, has called on youth in Cameroon to aspire become businessmen and contribute their quota to the running of the Cameroonian economy. He was talking to 35 youth leaders in a conference hosted by the World Bank’s office in Yaounde on Thursday, September 2, 2010, under the theme, “International Year of the Youth: For an Effective Participation of Young Cameroonians in Good Governance”.
Cameroon, the youth leader said, has an ambitious programme to become an emerging economy by 2035. “We can no longer be spectators, so every youth should think of setting up a business enterprise to contribute to the creation of wealth and employment,” he recommended. He acknowledged that more young Cameroonians had entered the informal sector in recent years, but more needed to participate by registering their businesses. “The Growth and Employment Strategy Paper offers opportunities for us to be engaged in economic governance,” he emphasised. Abdoul Razack also gave tips for the integration of youth into social, administrative and political spheres of governance.
In her welcome speech, the Information Officer at the World Bank office in Yaounde, Helen Pieume, underscored the partnership between the institution’s office and youth associations in the funding and execution of projects. On her part, the representative of the US Embassy in Yaounde, Gladys Viban, expressed optimism that the feedback of the conference was going to prepare better grounds for future partnership between youth associations and the US Embassy.
The spokesperson for the organising committee, Gabi Laurent Wambo, explained that the organisation of the conference was inspired by the need for youth leaders to reflect on crucial issues affecting good governance while the moderator, Emmanuel Sanyi, called on Cameroonian youth to shun blame, defeat and impatience. Viewing corruption as an obstacle to economic and social development, Désirée Gertrude Etobe called on young girls and women to cease from being passive but actively contribute in combating the scourge.
The youth conference was hosted by the World Bank office as part of its youth, development and peace programme to empower youth associations in Cameroon.
