Professional Training & Youth Employment:

50 Youths Trained in ADB Financed Projects Receive Certificates

The certificates award ceremony at the Yaounde Hilton Hotel on Friday was presided over by Economy and Planning Minister, AlamineOusmanMey

By Mercy Neba in Yaounde

ADB projects trainees pose for a shot with the Minepat, AlamineMey, 

ADB country representative and gov’t ministers

The Minister of the Economy, Planning and Regional Development, AlamineOusmaneMey, has presided over the award of end-of-course diplomas to 50 students who undertook a professional training on projects financed by the African Development Bank, ADB, in Cameroon. The ceremony on Friday, at the Yaounde Hilton Hotel was in the presence of the ADB country representative in Yaounde, SoulemaneKone. It witnessed by several government Ministers including IssaTchiroma of Employment and Professional Training, Dr. Taiga of Livestock & Animal Husbandry, MounounaFotso of Youth Affairs, Libom Li Liken of P&T among others.

                The trainees during the period 2017-2018, benefitted professional training on diverse domains including contracts awards, evaluation and follow-up, accounting and finance, domain and land surveys, telecoms, road construction, electricity development, civil engineering, communication, audit and control etc.

                The training courses were carried out in diverse ADB sponsored projects in the country including notably: the project to clean-up the city of Yaounde (PADY), the Lom-Pangar Hydro-Dam Project (PAHLP), the Project of Assistance to the Modernization of Land Surveys (PAMOCCA) among others.

                Speaking on the occasion, AlamineOusmane said the government was happy and proud to hand the certificates to the youths because they have demonstrated assiduity during the training.                          He thanked the authorities of ADB for making possible the training which falls squarely in line with president Biya’s youth empowerment and employment policy. He noted that ADB projects in Cameroon have a portfolio of over 1000 billion Fcfa.

                The training was also to assist the youth to gain easy access and recruitment in the job market, noted the MINEPAT, adding that some of the trainees have already gained employment at the ADB in the domains they specialized in.

                AlamineMey pledged the full and constant determination of the government to continue to promote skill-building and job creation among the youth, as a prerequisite for the country’s 2035 emergence drive. He urged other development partners to also emulate the initiative of the ADB in training and hiring Cameroonian youths.

                For his part, the ADB representative expressed his joy for the ceremony to hand certificates to the first batch of trainees in the ADB financed projects in Cameroon. He said the BAD’s objective is to accompany the government in fighting youth unemployment by creating jobs in diverse domains with a view to ameliorating the living conditions of the populations.

                He said youth unemployment is a major challenge of most African countries and the ADB cannot be indifferent to it. He noted that the ADB plans to create 25.000 jobs between 2016 and 2025, and that it is only through such training initiatives that this can be possible.