27th international youth day

The Mfou departmental stadium, the locality’s main sports facility, hosted the celebration of International Youth Day (IYD). Young people and administrative authorities turned out for the occasion, marking the arrival of Mrs. MBEZELE APIANE, Assistant Sub-Prefect, who presided over the event.

Presented by Paula NGEK JINGKO, Divisional Delegate for Youth Affairs and Civic Education for Mfou, the traditional Civic Minute recalled the origins of the day: established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1999, following a recommendation from the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth held in Lisbon in 1998, it has been celebrated every August 12 since 2000. Its goal is to draw the international community’s attention to the situation of young people and to encourage governments to invest further in youth policies.

This 27th edition, held under the theme “Different Contexts, Common Aspirations,” starts from a simple observation: the world’s 1.2 billion young people do not share the same realities, yet they are united by common fundamental aspirations. In Mfou, a locality of many faces, this diversity plays out between a large population of students and young people who are out of school and seeking employment. All of them aspire to be trained, supported, heard, and given real opportunities for economic and social inclusion.

Four pillars underpin these aspirations:

• Civic responsibility — respect for laws, institutions, and public property;

• Entrepreneurial spirit — initiative and ownership of one’s own development;

• Morality — honesty, integrity, and the rejection of corruption;

• Patriotism — attachment to and active contribution to the Cameroonian nation.

The representative of the Mayor of Mfou, Serge ABE, welcomed participants with a speech centered on the realities and development challenges facing the local youth.

In her opening remarks, the Assistant Sub-Prefect, Mrs. MBEZELE APIANE, stressed that this year’s theme calls for deep reflection: despite differing social, economic, and geographic realities, young people in Mfou and around the world share the same aspiration to live with dignity, study, work, and take part in the life of their community. She highlighted the Government’s commitment, under the High Patronage of the President of the Republic, to civic education, socio-economic inclusion, and entrepreneurship support for young people, before urging Mfou’s youth to seize the opportunities available to them. She closed by thanking the Mfou Municipal Council, the Divisional Delegation for Youth Affairs and Civic Education, the National Youth Organization for Culture and Sustainable Development, and all partners involved in organizing the celebration.

The parade showcased the dynamism and diversity of Mfou’s youth, organized in several segments: an opening procession (the Cameroonian flag, the Head of State’s portrait, and a banner bearing the theme), a special scouts’ contingent, followed by youth associations and movements, including the National Youth Organization for Culture and Sustainable Development, JELEC, and representatives of the Catholic, EEC, CBC, EPC, PPC, UEEC, Adventist, Full Gospel, and Fullness Baptist Church communities.

Mohamed Mounir, President of the National Youth Organization for Culture and Sustainable Development and promoter of the Unity Tournament (now in its second edition), was praised by local MINJEC officials as a young leader the nation can rely on, recognized for his standout socio-cultural and economic initiatives.

The day’s festive highlight was the final of the Unity Tournament, pitting two neighborhoods against each other: Haoussa (in green), known for its spirit of togetherness since its founding in 2018, and AS Gradi (in red), founded in 2017, which will hold tryouts the following day to recruit young footballers aged 13 to 17. The two finalists, from a competition involving about ten teams since July 2026, embodied the values of harmonious coexistence, national integration, and solidarity.

For this 27th edition, the Divisional Delegate set up an exhibition space dedicated to the initiatives of local youth, allowing them to showcase their skills to the public. The official delegation, led by the Assistant Sub-Prefect, toured several stands, starting with that of the Divisional Multifunctional Youth Empowerment Center (CMPJ), where staff presented the government programs and projects run by MINJEC, before moving on to the stands of the scouts and the Young Entrepreneurs and Leaders of Cameroon (JELEC).