Ahead of 2025 polls: NewSETA trains youth leaders on good governance, justice….

The capacity building, officials said, is ahead of elections coming up in 2025.

The training is codenamed: “The Next Mandela Project, NMP”. It is an annual series targeting young aspiring politicians and youth leaders interested in holding political office and upholding good governance.

In its maiden edition, the NMP is taking place under the theme: “Building a new generation of transformational leaders in Cameroon”.

The 30 youth leaders, oganisers of the training said, are drawn from the 10 regions of the country. 

In the course of the next three days, they will acquire knowledge and skills on running for public offices and advancing democracy.

Key issues to be touched in the course of the training, organisers said are; the organisation of the state, political parties, electoral laws and processes, policy making, building campaign strategies, leadership and economic, social and sustainable development among others. 

According to the Executive Director of NewSETA, Ateki Seta Caxton, The Next Mandela Project seeks to build the capacity of young people to be able to engage in the political process.

“To become a leader, it is not an easy thing and as such young people need to prepare themselves if they want to become leaders of tomorrow. They need to prepare themselves today,” Ateki said.

This, he enthused, entails understanding the workings of the economy, social dynamics, and different stakes of a society’s development.

Ateki remarked that very often, development does not just happen as people think and understand it.

According to Ateki, it is time to build a new generation of youth leaders who are willing to drive change.

Participants, he said are drawn from several political parties including: the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement, CPDM; Cameroon Renaissance Movement, MRC; Cameroonian Party for National Reconciliation, PCRN among others.

He lamented that: “We find it strange that we don’t find young people in the political landscape” but noted that “it is important to start changing the dynamics by getting them involved because tomorrow the elderly will go but they will need to be replaced by competent persons…”.

A resource person at the ongoing training, Yaah Gladys Viban, in her keynote address, hailed NewSETA for the initiative to train youth while urging youth to think without delay.

She remarked that: “…fear is a reaction and courage a decision”. Viban told the young people to be intentional about all they do, “start using the realities in their country and continent”.

The resource person equally urged the youth to avoid the 5Ps viz; quest for Power, Property, Prestige and Pompous attitude.

Enter youth affairs representative

Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Service Head for the Promotion of National Integration at the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Civic Education, Adjakba Halimatou, said the training is timely.

Halimatou urged the youth to embrace the growth mind-set and work for the development of the country by participating in every aspect of national life.

Statistics from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Civic Education in 2015, she disclosed, indicated that 35.51 percent of the population of Cameroon are youth between the ages of 15-35.

This story was first published in The Guardian Post issue No:3151 of Thursday June 27, 2024