“Special Youth” Plan: Financing Ready For First 2,150 Projects

Regional Delegates of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Civic Education and financial partners will in the days ahead pilot related procedures.

President Paul Biya in his National Youth Day address on February 10, 2016 announced the three-year “Special Youth” Plan intended to empower and ensure the socio-economic integration of youths. Prime Minister Philemon Yang officially launched the plan in Yaounde on January 11, 2017 that has to cost FCFA 102 billion. It focuses on projects in the domains of agriculture, industry and handicraft, digital economy and innovation.

One year after, the implementation

of the plan has become a reality. In the days ahead youths who registered with the National Youth Observatory and submitted projects for funding will see their dreams come true. The first set of 2,150 projects approved by Follow up Committee  of the Plan selected in 2017 are ready for financing at the sum of FCFA 3 317 674 720.

The Follow up Committee will in the near future take a decision on the second set of 847 projects  that would hopefully  be financed at the sum of FCFA 3 517 660 256. The rapporteur of the Technical Secretariat of the Committee, Oyono Levy made the declaration in Yaounde on January 24, 2018 as he, on behalf of the Committee’s Coordinator presented a report on what the committee has done so far.

All these revelations came on January 24, 2018 during the Steering Committee meeting of the National Youth Observatory (NYO) enlarged to include partners involved in the implementation of the three-year “Special Youth” Plan. The Minister of Youth Affairs and Civic Education, Mounouna Foutsou  chaired the Steering Committee meeting  aimed at taking stock of the progress made in the accompaniment and funding of youths registered at the NYO  to enable them benefit from the opportunities offered by the plan. 

With the urgent need for the plan to enter the implementation phase, procedure manuals to facilitate the cashing and use of the funding for the approved projects were handed to Regional Delegates of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Civic Education and financial partners involved. Reports say, 507,614 youths were registered, slightly above the 500,000 targeted each year.

Emmanuel KENDEMEH