By Doh James Sonkey
The Minister of Youth Affairs and Civic Education, Mounouna Foutsou chaired the 9th ordinary session of the Strategic Steering Committee of Multipurpose Youth Empowerment Centres (MYECs) last December 4, 2025 at the Mont Febe Hotel in Yaoundé.
It was recommended that all sectorial administrations should make good use of Multipurpose Youth Empowerment Centres where they don’t have structures in the national territory.
Officially opening and closing the meeting, Minister Mounouna Foutsou stressed that, ‘‘the purpose of this 9th Session is to optimise the functioning and effectiveness of these structures in charge of the out-of-school supervision and accompaniment of our youths to ensure their development and participation in the economic and social development of Cameroon.’’
The Youth Affairs and Civic Education boss told reporters that, “this strategic steering committee of the multiple positive empowerment centres is being held in a particular context which, as you know, the President of the Republic, H.E Paul Biya, in his swearing-in speech of 6th November 2025, has prescribed a special youth plan for the promotion of youth employment in a context where also we have adopted the new national youth policy, and in a context also where the multiple youth empowerment centres are considered and registered in the financial law as a source of non-tax revenue collection.’’
Minister Mounouna Foutsou explained that ‘‘considering all those challenges, we adopted some recommendations and resolutions that give opportunities to those structures to have efficient and functioning in their potential, so that to fulfil at the same time the harmonious implementation of the new national youth policy, the implementation of this special plan for the promotion of youth employment, and also improve the collection of the non-tax revenue in those structures.’’
The Minister disclosed that there are about 450 multiple youth empowerment centres operational all over the national territory, so that young people, wherever they are, they can be accompanied in proximity in their socio-economic integration ambition and also have moral, civic and entrepreneurial rearmament necessary for their socio-economic integration.’’