A televised debate on Canal 2 on stakes and challenges followed the Head of State's address.

Five government ministers on Monday February 10 mounted the podium to state what they are doing at their respective ministries and how youths could be taken on board for them to journey out of their predicaments of underemployment and ably contribute to desired sustainable economic growth. This was during a live televised debate on Canal 2 International after the traditional address to the youth by the Head of State, Paul Biya.

Ministers Essimi Menye of Agriculture and Rural Development, Jacques Fame Ndongo of Higher Education, Zacharie Perevet of Employment and Vocational Training, Laurent Serge Etoundi Ngoa of Small and Medium-size Enterprises, Social Economy and Handicrafts and Issa Tchiroma Bakary of Communication were on the panel.

Professional Training

All the ministers stressed the need for education to be professional-based so as to meet the growing needs of the job market. The Minister of Higher Education noted with satisfaction efforts thus far, especially with the creation of professional faculties here and there. He however noted that much still remains to be done to get the ratio of professional education and academic-based (general education) to 50-50. General education, he disclosed, still occupies about 75 per cent of the country's educational system. The Ministers said it was worrisome that the country's youth largely constitute labourers in various work sites for want of know-how to occupy technical posts. "We cannot content ourselves with providing labourers while the best go elsewhere," Minister Jacques Fame Ndongo said.

Youth and Agriculture

Statistics, Minister Essimi Menye said, show that the country in 2013 imported food to the tune of FCFA 550 billion and her exports at best harvested FCFA 400 billion. This puts the country's balance of trade at a deficit despite its potentials to produce food items it consumes aplenty and sell surpluses to ready markets. The ministry, he said, has a medley of projects to get youth actively involved in agriculture and that all will be done not only to produce more but to process locally as well so as to add value and reverse the vexing trends.

Employment

That 226,000 jobs were created in 2013 with prospects to attain 250,000 in 2014, they said, was good omen for a better future. Much more as the bulk of it came from the private sector. The facilitation of business creation, with licensed centres across the country, Minister Etoundi Ngoa noted, facilitated the setting up of some 21,887 businesses since 2010 and added to those created through other ways bring the number of enterprises in the country to over 300,000. With these, they said, there is hope to reduce the unemployment rate in the country which Minister Perevet said is in the neigbhourhood of 3.8 per cent.