By Doh James Sonkey
To mark the 4th anniversary of Youth Connekt Cameroon initiative, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Civic Education will be organizing next December 6 to 16, 2023 the 3rd edition of the International Exhibition for the Promotion of Youth Entrepreneurship, SIPROME Jeunes and the 1st edition of the National Extracurricular Sports Games (JENASESCO) on December 17 to 22, 2023 in Yaounde.
The revelation was made by the Minister of Youth Affairs and Civic Education, Mounouna Foutsou last November 20, 2023 during a press conference he granted at the Ministry of Communication in the presence of the Secretary General of the Ministry of Communication, Prof Felix Zogo who represented Minister Rene Emmanuel Sadi of Communication and Government Spokesperson and the Secretary General of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Civic Education, Zachee Robert Theophile Benga.
The Minister held a meeting with partners on Friday November 24, 2023 to discuss on how they can better support the two events.
The Youth Affairs and Civic Education boss said “the biggest innovation is the first edition of the National Extracurricular Sports Games which are an opportunity for youths not normally covered by school and university sports federations to showcase their talents and potential.”
He added that “As you must have already noticed, young people from youth movements and associations, public and private vocational training centres, the informal sector, young street children, young returnees, commercial motorbike riders etc still do not have a formal, well structured framework for expressing their sporting and cultural talents, which are often visible in the plethora of sports tournaments and socio-cultural activities organized in stadia and other makeshift spaces in our neighbourhoods and villages across the nation.”
Minister Mounouna Foutsou said 1820 athletes are expected from the 10 regions aged between 18 and 35 years to compete in the following sporting, socio-educational and cultural disciplines: athletics, basketball, volleyball, handball, judo, wrestling, paralympic sports, break dancing, popular dance, e-sports, fan clubs, board games, juggling, slam and skills Olympiads.
He concluded that “these activities will be enriched by the Civic and Entrepreneurial Moral Rearmament (REARMORCE) sessions, during flag hoisting and lowering ceremonies as well as civic-mindedness minutes dispensed at the start of each activity in order to make sports a time for strengthening and consolidating civic and patriotic values and the feeling of belonging to the nation.”