National Youth Day - Youths Unveil Talents, Needs in Douala

Youths have come to into the spotlight of activities to promote integration into the national life and a responsible future. Valentine Nfor mends and makes shoes at New-Bell Ngangue.

He is able to pay for his rents, provide meals for himself and dependents on a daily basis while also contributing to his family pantry in the village when the need arises. His little Vally XIX Workshop, which now employs one youth and offers training another, entertains between 5 to 10 customers every week who command new pair of shoes, and about 5 to 8 people who come for repairs.

As a whole, he earns between FCFA 50,000 to FCFA 75,000 weekly. He thinks that he could attain FCFA 200,000 a week if he receives financial support to secure raw materials like leader, new and modern machines as well as threads. Most of the material he uses comes from china and commands a little more than he has to be a fully profitable shoemaker.

The President of the National Youth Council (NYC) for Douala II Subdivision, Bello Mahaman, sounded situations as this faced by the youths while addressing authorities and school children at the launch of the National Youth Week at the Government Bilingual High School New-Bell yesterday, February 4. The week will culminate with celebrations marking the 48th edition of the National Youth Day on February 11, 2014.

Various difficulties faced by youths in the country, to him, has a connotation with the lack of a functioning and investment budget for the Council which makes it practically difficult to carry out programmes. Also, there is lack of youth inclusion in the process of national decision-making challenging the very reason the Council was set up for. As a result, the youths are calling for their appointment into the next government those of ages between 25 and 40, functioning and investment budget, reformation of the education system to suit the needs of the job market, as well as the inclusion of NYC officials in major decision-making in the country.

The Secretary General at the Littoral Governor's Office, Ludovic Ngbwa, has called on the youths to shun violence, division, social deviance and commit to their future as government has put in place a number of measures to integrate them into the national economy.