By Doh James Sonkey
In prelude to the official launching ceremony of the national youth consultations for the revision of the National Youth Policy, Youth Affairs and Civic Education Minister, Mounouna Foutsou has urged young people to ensure their peers massively participate in the revision of their policy nationwide. He made the call recently at the Conviviality Hall of the National Museum in Yaounde, as he chaired an impregnation and orientation session of the leaders of the Cameroon National Youth Council, (CNYC) in the presence of the Secretary General of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Civic Education, Theophile Robert Zachee Benga.
In line with the implementation of President Paul Biya’s policy of great achievements, he formulated his vision for Cameroonian youths in these terms “to be, by 2035, a fulfilled, responsible, creative, dynamic youth fully committed to the achievement of the National Development Objectives.”
Minister Mounouna Foutsou in his speech said the updating process that started in 2022, is being rounded up in 2024. Many youth organs were put in place in response to President Biya’s vision such as the CNYC, Youth Parliament, National Youth Council for Popular Education etc.
The Youth Affairs and Civic Education boss said, “youth must be at the centre of all preoccupations and the implementation of solutions to the problems raised by youths. Youths will therefore be more than ready for the implementation of these solutions because the solutions are from them. This process will be inclusive for all youths. I wanted to be sure that youths are ready to manage the process themselves”, he said.
The Minister wished that youths who took part at the session should be the ambassadors of the project to other youths.
The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Civic Education develops the National Youth Policy and its action plan, participates in its implementation and monitoring and evaluation. The National Youth Policy (2015-2020) is being updated and it is a policy document and a reference framework that allows one to better take into account specific concerns of young people, to ensure greater synergy of the interventions of all the actors and operators in the youth supervision sector, and to mobilise more effectively the necessary resources and means of actions in favour of youths. The consultations will enable the Cameroon National Youth Council to have all the preoccupations of the Cameroonian youths.