Richard Kwang Kometa
26 March 2008
Recent social unrests in Cameroon has not only led government to intensify communication on efforts to better the living condition of the populations but also unearth some hitherto unknown achievements that have been initiated especially for the youths in the country. The obvious leader at this level has been the Ministry of Youth Affairs with the Support Programme for Rural and Urban Youths known as programme "d'appui à la jeunesse rurale et urbain" (PAJER-U).
According to officials of the Ministry of Youths Affairs, some 1,515,216 youths between the ages of 15 and 30 are school drop outs and make up 09.8 per cent of the total population of Cameroon. 47.2 per cent of this active part of the population of Cameroon leaves in urban areas while 52.8 per cent are in the rural localities. The statistics aside, these youths face chronic employment challenges and the Ministry in charge of youths affairs has been brainstorming on ways to improve on their situation through the PAJER-U programme, with concrete results so far obtained on the ground.
Achievements
Statistics from the MINJEUN indicate that between 2007 and 2009, some 5,000 youths from the ten provinces in the country are being guaranteed jobs and of the number there are 125 involved in small enterprises and 1500 in micro-activities. While FCFA25 million has been invested in each of the 125 small business enterprises, FCFA one million has been allocated for each of the 1500 micro-activities.
This has just been a tip of the icebergs as the project also identifies the groups that have benefited from PAJER-U. Such groups include non governmental organisations, farmers groups and common initiative groups involved in areas such as livestock, agriculture, carpentry, fishery activities, among others. For instance, in the South West Province there are structures like the Yamp Farmers in Fako headed by Ferdinand Ikome, the Upper Bokova Animal production groups led by Frida Enanga and the Farming and Animal Husbandry project put in place by Wose Jada, among several others.
The South Province has a total of 17 projects under the pilot programme, while there are 16 in the North Province, and about 30 in the West Province. This trend has been respected in the entire country according to data from the Ministry of Youth Affairs.
Accessibility
MINJEUN officials have equally been particular about conditions for access to the assistance given that most of the concerned populations are not aware of what it takes to benefit from PAJER-U support. Thus, the Ministry of Youths has indicated that all it requires is a registration file to be deposited to the officials in charge of the project. The educational level of the applicants should not pose any problem since the Ministry is the lone judge whenever selection has to be done for those to be assisted. Those interested have also been told to contact either the provincial or divisional officials of PAJER-U in their localities.
Interests
So far, public reaction to the Ministry of Youth Affair's initiative has been exceptional. On 20 March 2008, Minister Adoum Garoua was on the field in the Centre Province visiting some of the projects that have benefited from PAJER-U assistance. Between December 2007 and January 2008, 5,000 youths applied for help and 1600 of them were selected following evaluation tests in entrepreneurial capacity conducted by the Ministry of Youths. After the training in civic, social, entrepreneurial and managerial training for the selected youths that is taking place in all the ten provinces of the Republic, these youths will create micro-enterprises at the end of the training.
In real terms, PAJER-U will each year provide 100 youths with funding worth one million in each province per project for a period of three years.
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