On the occasion of the 27th edition of the International Youth Day celebrated on August 12, 2026, the Hang Out was held in the press room of the Yaoundé Omnisports Stadium. Under the coordination of MINJEC, youth and institutions exchanged views on current changes. Between violence against girls, digital divide, and unemployment, the CNJC calls for making youth a true actor of the “seven-year youth plan”.
Different realities, the same ambition: to understand the aspirations of Cameroonian youth. This was the guiding thread of the Hang Out organized as part of the 27th edition of International Youth Day (IYD).
The meeting, held in the press room of the Yaoundé Omnisports Stadium, had a clear objective: to offer young people a space for dialogue, expression, and proposal.
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Presided over by Mr. Luc Valère NKO’O ZEH, Assistant Inspector No. 1 at MINJEC, representing Minister Mouna Foutsou, the setting allowed laying the foundations for collective reflection on current challenges.
“Who better to talk about youth than the youth themselves?” The National Youth Council of Cameroon (CNJC), represented by its Treasurer General Forcha Glen Beloa, introduced the proceedings. On behalf of President Fadimatou Iyawa, he recalled the urgency of creating a framework where young people can freely express themselves and make concrete proposals.
Beyond a simple exchange, the Hang Out aims to be a space for consultation to better integrate the aspirations of young people into public policies. Empowerment, support, participation: young people are called upon to formulate solutions to fully play their role in the country’s development.
This dynamic is part of the public authorities’ desire to make youth a key actor of the seven-year plan dedicated to youth.
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The intervention of Suzanne BIL’OO MEYE, known as “Mami Google”, head of the Cameroonian Network for the Empowerment of Women and Girls, highlighted the specific challenges faced by young girls.
Physical violence, sociocultural constraints, digital harassment, dissemination of intimate content, digital divide, limited access to opportunities, and irregular migration: all obstacles that weaken a part of the female youth.
While the picture painted is worrying, it is above all meant to be hopeful. Because for the participants, young people are not only beneficiaries. They are also sources of proposals.
Through their testimonies, they shared their experiences but above all their ideas to face current changes.
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