Yaounde: LOYOC, partners train youth leaders on fostering peaceful electoral processes.

This was the main focus of a two-day ‘Voters Education Workshop’ which youth-led not-for-profit organisation, Local Youth Corner, LOYOC, and its partners, organised in Yaounde from May 12 to May 13.  

The training was within LOYOC’s initiative launched last January, which is tagged: “Harnessing Opportunities for Peaceful Electoral Processes in Cameroon, HOPE Project”.

LOYOC is piloting the project with support from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Civic Education and funds from the National Endowment for Democracy, NED. 

Speaking to reporters, the Executive Director of LOYOC, Achaleke Christian Leke, said the HOPE Project was designed to address the problem of limited youth participation in elections, persistent lack of trust in democratic institutions, voter apathy, electoral violence, manipulation of youth by politicians and other irregularities in the electoral process. 

With many youths increasingly demonstrating interest to be solution providers, Achaleke said HOPE Project is an opportunity to hone the skills of young people to respond to issues of conflict and violence during elections. 

“This workshop is part of our process of giving them tool sets, the mindset and clearing some of their doubts on their role so that they would be able to do what other generations to come will benefit,” Achaleke said. 

He said the inclusive and intergenerational nature of the workshop, with a blend of participants from hinterland crisis-hit zones and those in urban areas, those who are physical challenged, to tap from experts, make other youth to see the initiative differently as it is piloted by their peers. 

Enter HOPE Project lead 

LOYOC Programme Officer and HOPE Project Lead, Ballo Ngomna, said through the workshop, the organisation is inculcating in participants skills that will enable them to be actors of peace throughout the electoral process. 

He said topics handle at the workshop will open the minds of participants on better understanding their role as peace actors and advocates for youth participation in elections in their communities.

“From our research, we have noticed that young people are easily radicalised in the electoral periods. We want to change this narrative and make them actors of peace and not actors of violence,” Ngomna said. 

The participants, drawn from all walks of life, he detailed have been enlightened on their rights, responsibilities, how to be actors in ensuring fair and peaceful polls as well as how young people could be true actors of peace building in electoral violence and mediation. 

Partner, stakeholder oganisations hail LOYOC’s initiative 

Representatives of organisations partnering with LOYOC to implement HOPE Project as well as others actively involved in the electoral process, in separate interventions hailed the initiative of LOYOC, noting it is timely and vital for the context. 

The UN Peace and Development Adviser in Cameroon, Stean Auguste Tshiband, said the workshop is very important and helps the UN to better understand the “engagement of youth in the electoral process, especially in peace and conflict prevention in the country”. 

“For us, this workshop fits squarely in the vision that we as UN have in supporting local initiatives and efforts for conflict prevention, resolution and anything that will help in sustaining peace in Cameroon, particularly during this moment where we are going through electoral competition,” Tshiband stated. 

On her part, the Head of Cooperation Unit at the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Civic Education, Dontsop Meinang Adeline Honorine, said the training is timely and aligns with the vision of the ministry for peaceful elections and harmonious living together. 

“…we all know very well that the electoral period is often a critical period where we often have issues of tension, violence and sometimes even hate speech,” she said, noting that young people, if adequately trained, can reverse tensions, violence, hate speech into an “opportunity for dialogue and even mediation”. 

Dontsop Meinang who doubles as National President of Youth, Peace and Security Commission, said the workshop contributes to strengthen civic engagement of young people and also aims to promote sustainable peace throughout the electoral process. 

Participants salute initiative 

Participants at the workshop saluted the initiative of LOYOC, noting that skills acquired will be transferred to other youths in their respective communities. 

One of them, Satrebai Suzanne, who is a Regional Councillor from the Far North Region, said the workshop is a direct call for youth take their responsibilities in the electoral process seriously. 

Satrebai who is the youngest Regional Councillor nationwide said the workshop has also enlightened them to be able to organise restitutions for the benefit of other young people. 

“We [youth] must understand that we have the power. It is up to us to decide who should represent us and who our leader should be,” she stated.

Satrebai who is also founding president of the African Community Engagement Association, urged youth and young girls in particular, to be responsible, get involved in electoral issues and make a choice that represents their aspirations. 

The workshop got presentations officials of the United Nations Systems in Cameroon, the Ministry of Territorial Administration, MINAT, and elections management body, Elections Cameroon, ELECAM. 

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3448 of Wednesday May 14, 2025