General situation:
Young people (0-35 years) in Cameroon constitute about 68.7% of the total population of Cameroon. They have control/access to only about 29.83% of Cameroon’s resources (statistics derived from the United Nations Population Division, DESA’s population pyramid for 2000 and the CIA world fact book website-Date visited 30/10/2009). Instead the old who constitute only about 31.3% control over 70% of the resources.
It is also regrettable that the Cameroonian youths who constitute more than half of the Cameroonian population, are not actively involved and do not participate at all in decision making and policy formulation that concern and affect them. Thus, the incidence fall back on the young people who are not the architects of the policies in place. There is a need for the voices of the young people to be raised.
It is also worth noting that 32% of the youths are unemployed (although government sources put unemployment to stand at 13% -Ministry of Youths website-date of visit 30/09/2009); 20% live with less than a dollar a day (below the poverty line); 15% are illiterates; 22% are school dropouts due to poverty; 25% are HIVAIDS infected and affected.
With a keen look at the following facets, AC-YA holds the opinion that the situation of young people in Cameroon is not the best.
- Young People and Decision Making, Civil Participation &Good Governance:
It no secret that decision making in Cameroon is void of youth involvement in all facets. This is quite visible for there is no youth who is a parliamentarian; that is a member of the national assembly (which is the only legislative organ of the state for now since Cameroon legislative organ is bi-cameral). The situation becomes worst without any hope for the youths as we can also see that, the Senate which is soon to be set up already segregates/discriminates against the youths from the constitutional provisions laying it down, Article 7(3) of the Cameroonian Constitution states that “Candidates for the post of Senator and personalities appointed to the post of senator by the President of the Republic must have attained the age of 40(forty) by the date of the election or appointment”. The context disfavours youths as decision making is concerned. In fact youths are completely left out and are biased as decision making in the legislative organ of the state is concerned.
Sir/Madam, we will also like to draw your attention to the fact that, in a government where the President and the Prime Minister are not youths, there is still no youth appointed in the government having over thirty cabinet ministers (made up of Ministers of State, Ministers, and Secretaries of states and even the Secretary Generals in various ministries). These personalities do possess a lot of power and can take very strategic decisions as Cameroon is practicing the Presidentialist regime (where the Executive controls a lot of power over the other organs of the state; the Judiciary and the Legislative). Worst still at the decentralized level of the executive power there is no youth in position of power; We can visibly see that there is no youth appointed as a Governor in any of the 10 regions and as a Senior Divisional Officer in any of the 58 Divisions (note that the law provides that these personalities are direct representatives of the President of the Republic in their areas of jurisdictions with massive supervisory and cohesive powers accorded to them) etc.
Still in this light, Sir/Madam, to the best of our knowledge at AC-YA there is no youth who is a Regional or Divisional Delegate (who are direct representatives of the over 20 Cabinet Ministers with a lot powers as well). There is also no youth who appointed as Director or Board Chairman for any state owned corporation and para-statal. This still depicts a very sad picture for the youths as the Executive organ of the state is concerned, where they are not just under represented but they are completely or almost left out of the scene.
Worst still, the third and last organ of the state which is judiciary still kicks youths out of the field of play. As there is no youth appointed at the level of the Supreme Court, or as a Supreme Magistrate, or as a Procureur General (Attorney General), or is heading the court of appeals at the regional level and high court at the divisional level etc. In fact, there is no youth occupying a decisive position in terms of decision making is concerned with the Cameroonian judiciary.
In the light of local governance, youths are also absent in over 185 municipalities there is no youth who is a Mayor, or appointed as a Government Delegate to any of the City councils. Very few youths are councilors in their various local government areas. It has also been discovered that youths do not participate in tracking budgets of the elected officials (mayors, parliamentarians).
It is believed by most young people that with this persistence exclusion of youths from the daily and strategic affairs of the state have instilled the spirit of voter’s apathy and unpatriotic amongst youths (ACYA baseline survey on the identification of problems and needs of young people in Cameroon 2006 and as reported by VOA article Published 2007-04-05 09:09 (KST) titled “Low Turnout and Fraud Mar Cameroon Elections” in Cameroon).
- Youth Economic and Social Situation:
Given the situation expressed above, youths are not only filled with frustrations to achieve their dreams and exhibit their talents; they languish in poverty and misery, disappointment, with no hope for the future and turn to sort out to alcoholism, illegal activities(like dubbing commonly called “scamming”) criminality as a way of life.
There is a myth in the minds of Cameroonians that it is abnormal to see a wealthy youth. It is thought he/she could have either obtained his/her wealth through illegal means or from a cult or is a “bushfaller” (that is someone who is hustling in one of the western industrialized countries).
Cameroon has a weak private sector with a lot of government dominance, thus most people depend on the government for employment which scarcely come by or is marred at times by allegations of bribery and corruption not meritocracy.
Although, some push-full youths obtain employment with the government, or are engaged in petty trading and farming, the realistic situation remain that youth are always positioned at the bottom of the social and economic class. AC-YA believes this is not an ideal picture for the Cameroonian youths who are full with a lot of talents and ingenuity to offer for sustainable development/innovations.
- Youth Health and Reproductive rights situation:
Young People in Cameroon are directly affected by major health challenges nowadays like the HIV/AIDS where they are highest hit with a prevalence rate of about 12.6% far above the national prevalence rate of 5.5%. They also suffer most from Sexually Transmissible infections(STIs) like gonorrhea, syphilis, Chlamydia, hypathysis “B” and “C” which are quite deadly and have untold repercussions on their health (Source Cameroon Demographic and Public Health Census 2004 report published by the Ministry of Public Health , CNLS, National Institute of Statistics etc.)
Also, young girls drop out of school and are forced into early marriages due to poverty, engage in prostitution and are not even fully briefed formally on their sexual and reproductive rights thus with accompanying damaging health consequences.
It is worth noting that, there have been some government efforts seeking solutions to all these health challenges by setting up of programmes and structures (NACC, National Programme for the fight against HIV/AIDS etc). But all these have been void of active youth involvement. The coming of the National Youth Council is raising a lot of hope for the young people but critics think the government is setting it up to manipulate it for their interest (as the constitution was not set by the young people themselves but designed by government, did not make it public and went ahead to organize elections into the various positions of the councils for the youths still without releasing any concrete plan or document in relation to its fate), especially as there are strategic events like the up coming Presidential elections in 2011.
Despite all the above efforts the actual situation on the ground still portray the need for young people in Cameroon to have an independent non tele-guided platform established by the youths and led by them within the civil society. This platform will act with an objective and independent view not directly controlled by the government where their problems and cry could always be expressed/advocated.
The Alliance for Cameroon Youths Associations stands as this pillar of hope to always form alliances with relevant stakeholders to address pertinent problems faced by young people in Cameroon. It is worth quoting view expressed by the head of Division for Social and Urban Environment in EESI, Louisette Mabiom, who said “…youths in Cameroon constitute an important part of the population both in numbers and productivity,….it is very necessary to ,”…re-launch and fight against the phenomenon of social exclusion and segregation of youths….” . It is time for an ultimate and urgent action to unite, form alliances to empower, capacitate and Consolidate Youths Actions for Sustainable Development and giving the civil society a voice /due status in Cameroon.
Our survey portrayed a glaring and ultimate need to actively involve youths in seeking for solutions to their problems (which is still absent in Cameroon) and to create an organization for youths and led by youths. It also showed the need to give the civil society which is still at its infantry stage a voice/ its due place in the Cameroonian Society (Democracy Statistics shows very low ratings for Civil and political liberties in Cameroon which stands at 0.5 and Cameroon occupies 127th of 140; source nation master facts see website http://www.nationmaster.com/country/cm-cameroon/dem-democracy date accessed 30/10/2009). It is worth quoting the Tanzanian Head of State, Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, Current AU Chairperson, on Wednesday 09/09/09 at Dar-es-salam while installing the ECOSOCC Chairperson said “The civil society has now become an integral part of the normal and routine processes of policy formulation, policy implementation, and policy evaluation and monitoring within the African Union”. AC-YA believes, Cameroon therefore, imminently needs the values of democratization and inclusiveness, to give a more holistic and enduring meaning/ significance to its Civil and political liberties.
Given the very difficult and miserable position young people find themselves coupled with the weak civil society in Cameroon today, the Youth Alliance believes, it is the moment for all stakeholders to support, empower and capacitate them/raise their voices for meaningful youth development and strengthen the civil society. In fact there is an absolute and urgent need for immediate action/intervention to address the multitude of problems faced by young people in Cameroon.
Sir/Madam, it is for this reason that we appeal and plead that given the situation analysis of young people in Cameroon, we therefore on behalf of the AC-YA team and our Cameroonian peers table this of appeal for assistance/support to you. We are desperately looking up to you as an influential stakeholder in development to support and empower us. Our appeal for partnership may cover a wide range of scope ranging from technical assistance and full cooperation to build up the Youth Alliance to be able to accurately address the needs of young people within the Cameroon Social, Economic and legal framework as you may decide.