2013-2014 University Brain Trust Launched

The fifth edition is to promote entrepreneurship skills amongst young Cameroonians.

The 2013-2014 University Brain Trust Competition was launched yesterday December 16 in Yaounde by the Minister of Higher Education, Jacques Fame Ndongo. After its last edition in 2008, the 2013-2014 Brain Trust competition which seeks to promote and valorise academic excellence in the university milieu has a new look with focus on the theme; "Youth Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Service of Development."

During the technical workshop to launch the competition, the Minister of Higher Education, Jacques Fame Ndongo said this year's edition of the University Brain Trust Competition falls in line with the continuation of the philosophy of business creation projects, promotion of creativity and enhancement of talents amongst young people.

That is why Minister Fame Ndongo noted that this year's edition has introduced a number of innovations to fall in line with the Ministry's logic of priority actions prescribed in the law on the orientation of Higher Education (2001), the new University Governance of 2007 and the Growth and Employment Strategy Paper (GESP).

During the workshop, partners discussed a platform for competition within the framework of the policy on decentralisation with specific focus on the involvement of Higher Education graduates in the process of economic development in the country, the consolidation of the process of professionalization in teaching so as to incite creativity, innovation and entrepreneurial spirit amongst students as well as to develop partnership between Universities, the business world and local authorities.

The aim of the competition is to encourage students to go beyond classroom lessons, develop professionalism and make universities attractive to enterprises. Innovative about this year's edition is that it is no longer only to develop and defend entrepreneurship projects confined to specific areas. Henceforth, applicants have the flexibility to draw projects in different areas in order to show their creative genius.

Furthermore, the competition now extends to all areas of knowledge (Arts, Letters, Humanities, Social Sciences, Life and Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Applied Sciences). The competition gathers teams representing their own public or private institution of Higher Education.