At installation of new bureau: JAPSSO Executive Director pledges to uphold organisation's mission, vision.

He made the pledge during a ceremony to officially install the new bureau of the organisation in Yaounde yesterday. Staff, partners, and well-wishers of the JAPSSO attended the event.

Abossolo Essi Pierre Hermann was installed alongside other members of the new bureau including; Dongmo Arnauld Dave as Deputy Executive Director in charge of Administration and Finances; Aboko Adji as Deputy Executive Director in charge of Coordination in the Northern Regions, and Mounde Ndam Souleman as Deputy Executive Director in charge of Programmes. 

After assuming office, Abossolo Essi expressed gratitude for the confidence placed on him and emphasised his readiness to assume the responsibilities that come with his new role. 

He described his appointment as both an honour and a call to service, stressing that continuity, innovation, and inclusiveness would guide his leadership.

“I am ready to take up this role and carry out the duties that come with it,” he said, adding that the new leadership team is fully aware of the expectations and challenges ahead.

The three major challenges which the bureau faces, the Executive Director said, will define its actions in the coming years. 

He mentioned ensuring genuine and effective collaboration with JAPSSO’s partners, noting that strong partnerships remain the backbone of sustainable development initiatives and are essential for achieving long-term impact.

Abossolo Essi also talked of maintaining and further strengthening the organisation’s mobilisation and empowerment capabilities, to sustain its reputation for grassroots engagement and community participation, particularly among vulnerable and marginalised populations. 

Abossolo Essi also pledged that these strengths would not only be preserved but expanded to reach more communities across the country.

He also mentioned involving as many beneficiaries as possible in the consultation, consolidation, and implementation of high-impact interventions. 

“Development actions are more effective and sustainable when beneficiaries are actively involved at every stage,” he stated. 

Commitment to improve wellbeing 

The Executive Director reiterated that JAPSSO is committed to improving the well-being of the Cameroonian people. 

He said the ambition goes beyond short-term assistance and focuses on strengthening the autonomy of beneficiaries, partners, and local development actors.

“In pursuing this ambition, JAPSSO truly intends to strengthen the autonomy of all beneficiaries, partners, and local development actors,” Abossolo Essi stated, insisting that empowering communities to take ownership of their development remains a core principle of the organisation.

He further highlighted JAPSSO’s advocacy role, particularly in ensuring that community aspirations are taken into account, especially those of women and vulnerable groups. 

According to Abossolo Essi, inclusive development cannot be achieved without deliberately addressing the needs of populations that are often left behind.

“JAPSSO is currently promoting the creation of an environment that facilitates equitable access to essential services for the population,” he said. 

The services, he explained, include education and health, which remain critical pillars of human development. He said JAPSSO intends to continue supporting decentralised territorial collectivities in the implementation of high-impact development plans that are aligned with the needs of beneficiary populations.

Outlines 2026 priority areas 

Abossolo Essi outlined three key projects that will guide JAPSSO’s interventions in 2026.

He mentioned focus on health, with emphasis on facilitating equitable access to health services for vulnerable and key populations as health inequalities continue to pose serious challenges, especially in underserved areas.

He said the second project will build on JAPSSO’s environmental interventions, particularly in the Northern region. This, he said, will add to restoring forest landscapes and improving the management of arable land, in a context where climate change and environmental degradation are increasingly threatening livelihoods.

In the domain of local development, he added that JAPSSO plans to strengthen support to local authorities, particularly in opening up difficult to access production areas to boost economic activities and improve living conditions for local populations.

JAPSSO in brief

Created in 1999 in Garoua as an association and legalized in 2003, JAPSSO, in 2014, obtained accreditation as a Cameroonian NGO. Its accreditation was renewed in 2020 and most recently on November 22, 2024. 

In 2021, JAPSSO changed its name from Active Youth for the Fight Against Poverty, HIV/AIDS and its Suffering to Join Acting For the Success of Sustainable Objectives. 

The change, according to officials, reflects a significant expansion of its areas of intervention, moving beyond its initial focus on poor and vulnerable people infected with HIV and tuberculosis.

Today, JAPSSO works in a wide range of fields including socio-economic development, environmental protection, sustainable development, empowerment and socio-professional integration of young people, support for decentralized territorial communities, human rights promotion, and training.

JAPSSO is committed to the sustainable improvement of people’s living conditions through local, inclusive, and innovative solutions. 

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3666 of Wednesday January 07, 2026