Cameroon Invests CFAF 90 Million in New Foumbot Youth Training Centre

Cameroon has invested CFAF 90 million in a new facility for the Multifunctional Youth Promotion Centre (CMPJ), in Foumbot, West Region, strengthening public infrastructure designed to train and support young people toward employment and self-employment.

The facility was financed by the Ministry of the Economy, Planning and Regional Development, or MINEPAT, and officially handed over to the head of the center by Noun Senior Divisional Officer Chaïbou. The first learners are expected to be admitted at the start of the next school year.

The new infrastructure reinforces the network of Multifunctional Youth Promotion Centres operating under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Civic Education, or MINJEC. The centers provide non-formal training, guidance and support to young people aged 15 to 35, with a focus on socio-economic integration.

According to MINJEC, Cameroon has 444 CMPJs, including two reference centers, 10 regional centers, 58 divisional centers and 374 sub-divisional facilities. The ministry says 10,771 learners were registered in the centers in 2024, while CFAF 1.8 billion has been transferred to decentralized local authorities for CMPJ construction.

During the Foumbot handover ceremony, Chaïbou urged young people and parents to make use of the new infrastructure rather than allow the investment to remain underused.

“You have seen what the State has put in place for the supervision of young people in Foumbot, and we hope that this will not become another abandoned facility. Young people should take an interest in it; send your children,” the Senior Divisional Officer said.

The investment comes against the backdrop of the government’s broader youth employment strategy, which includes the Three-Year Special Youth Plan, known by its French acronym PTS-Jeunes. Launched in 2016, the program targets young people aged 15 to 35 and focuses on training, entrepreneurship, project financing and socio-economic integration.

MINJEC says the program recorded 45,780 direct jobs created between 2016 and 2025, alongside 486 economic clusters developed and equipped. The government initially allocated CFAF 102 billion to the program, with a target of supporting 1.5 million young people.

The Foumbot investment comes as employment remains a major challenge for Cameroon’s young population. In April 2025, the World Bank reported that people aged 18 to 35 accounted for 57% of Cameroon’s labor force, while many continued to face difficulties accessing jobs.

The latest detailed employment survey published by the National Institute of Statistics found that 86.6% of jobs were in the informal sector, while the employment rate among people aged 15 to 34 stood at 39.3%.

Mercy Fosoh