As rightly stated by President Paul Biya in his address, “The Cameroon we are striving to build is meant to provide a better life for the present, but also the future generations.” The youths remain an important wealth for any nation but all depends on how this segment of the population is harnessed. Youthfulness, it is said, can be a disease; hence, all diagnosis must be made to know what policies to adopt so they don’t derail and become a disaster for the country. President Biya was very clear in his speech. “Cameroonian youth are a reflection of youth throughout the world; they are anxious about the present and concerned about their future.” This observation is enough to tailor the policies and actions of all stakeholders in youth formation.
How should this be done in a manner as to produce a youthful generation that will constitute a solid development pillar for the country? The issues raised in President Biya’s speech could not leave anyone indifferent. The first problem, which is certainly on every lip today, is that of unemployment. An unemployed youth is, to say the least, a danger to the nation. “There is no place in the world that has a magic wand to the problem of youth unemployment. Should we then throw in the towel and resign ourselves to some kind of fatality?” This is the crucial question that incidentally translates the worry of the Head of State who, in a monosyllabic “No”, stated how possible it is to reverse the situation.
“We have already earmarked more than one-fifth of the State budget for training youths and, together, we must work out avenues for innovative solutions involving both the national community and the youths themselves.” This, in essence, is the answer. In effect, youth formation is the responsibility of everyone, including the youths themselves. Whereas the State is continuing to play its role in fostering youth empowerment and adopting special measures to give a solution to the problem as exemplified by the special recruitment of 25,000 young certificate holders, it becomes imperative for the private sector which remains the major job-creating arena to play its own role. “It should be understood that youth employment depends above all on our ability to create wealth. The quest for such prosperity cannot be left in the hands of the State alone. All the segments of the nation are concerned, particularly the private sector, which creates the largest portion of the country’s wealth and is a key partner in our fight against unemployment”, he said.
In the key note address, President Paul Biya expressed the commitment of his regime to “continue to lay emphasis on improving access to basic education and the first cycles of secondary general or technical education.” The question many should be asking in the face of the President’s speech is what youths ought to do in order to foster their own employment. The answer is simple. They need to come up with initiatives towards job creation which could attract support from both the State and private enterprises. In this light, he urged the youths to identify potential areas with employment openings such as the rural areas, the tourism sector, sports and information and communication technology.
The Head of State has already announced his intension to provide incentives towards such initiatives. “I will soon announce a concrete plan to create several thousands of jobs. The plan will be geared towards the provision of incentives for the creation of enterprises of all sizes by the private sector, and notably by youths, in all sectors of the economy, from agriculture to arts, including industry and services.”
The trouble with the youths, it should be stated, is that they think jobs will come to them on a platter of gold. Even some who have completed from technical schools with all the techniques fold their arlms waiting for jobs. President Biya laments this in unequivocal terms; “It is not by waiting, or hoping that the State will provide everything, that they will find a solution. So I urge them to: INNOVATE, CREATE and, above all, DARE!”
