Skills dev’t, employment: World Bank supports scheme to train 2,914 youths.

Minister Mounouna stated that the scheme is the Project to Support the Development of Secondary Education and Skills for Growth and Employment, PADESCE.

The initiative, he stated, is part of government’s efforts to make vocational training more accessible while aligning skills development with the needs of the labour market. 

Mounouna said it will be implemented under the banner of the “One Youth, One Trade, One Job”, JEME organisation. He noted that it was established under the Competitive Skills Development Mechanism, MCDC under PADESCE. 

“It is designed to remove some of the financial barriers preventing young people from accessing practical and employment-oriented training,” he noted.

The vouchers, Minister Mounouna said, covers training costs, insurance, personal protective equipment, small work equipment and certification assessment fees. 

He noted that beneficiaries will be trained for between three and six months in partner institutions. The minister said 11,221 applications were received for 1,000 spots that were programme. 

Following verification and evaluation, 7,783 unique applications were shortlisted for selection. He stated that the World Bank raised the number of beneficiaries to 2,914.

The digital sector accounts for 943 beneficiaries, including 314 young women; 1,400 young people among them 257 women, will receive training in heavy construction machinery operation. 571 beneficiaries, including 58 women, will be trained in industrial welding, he stated.

Salutes output of first half of 2026

During the first half of 2026, the minister stated that 5,843 workers benefited from professional development programmes. Of this number, he said 4,188 came from the social economy and informal sector. 

Under PADESCE, the minister said, 18 companies have provided 646 apprenticeship positions and supported 244 apprenticeship supervisors across 53 trades. 

The approach, he explained, seeks to make companies not merely destinations for young people after graduation, but active spaces for learning, professional development and the consolidation of practical skills.

Government, the minister said, is also relying on other programmes to expand the country’s skills-development ecosystem. 

He mentioned the Project to Support the Promotion of Entrepreneurship, Skills Development and Industrialisation, PEAC, backed by more than 41 billion FCFA from the African Development Bank. 

The project targets strategic sectors including construction, transport, energy, information and communication technologies, agriculture and the green economy, he noted.

In Ntui Centre Region, he said government is transforming and equipping a vocational training centre with the sum of 6.559 billion FCFA from UNICREDIT BANK AUSTRIA AG. 

The programme, he added, includes technology transfer, updating training standards and strengthening trainers’ capacities in welding and metalwork, woodworking, electrical engineering, automotive mechanics and bricklaying.

In Pitoa, Benue Division of the North Region, Mounouna Foutsou said the Intensive Vocational Training Centre for Industrial Trades is receiving support under the Skills Initiative for Africa, implemented by the African Union Development Agency, AUDA-NEPAD and partners, with funding of 2.5 billion FCFA.

According to the minister, government is seeking to complement the training initiatives with stronger employment and entrepreneurship mechanisms.

The Special Plan for the Promotion of Youth Employment, PSPE-Jeunes, he said, is intended to address the entire chain, from skills development and support to investment, entrepreneurship, business creation and employment.

Outlines gov’t’s ambitious plan

He noted that a central tool in the strategy is the youth employment portal, www.emploijeune.cm. The site, the minister said, has information on initiatives related to guidance, training and employment. 

He said government is also implementing the second edition of the Holiday Youth Guidance, Training and Employment ORFEV-JEUNES.

For 2026, the programme aims to reach at least 35,000 young people with information on trades, support 15,000 in their academic and professional choices, train 25,000 in technical, professional and entrepreneurial skills, the Interim minister said.

Along the same line, he said government plans to assist 5,000 youths in preparing for competitive examinations and facilitate internship access for another 5,000 others.

He disclosed that 1,080 young volunteer interns deployed within regional and local authorities will to support the operationalisation of Municipal Employment Offices.

Calls for collaboration

For Mounouna called for collective support for government initiatives. He appealed to companies to provide more apprenticeship and internship opportunities to youths.

He also encouraged families to promote vocational careers. The member of government tasked media practitioners to provide reliable information to help change perceptions surrounding technical and industrial professions.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3888 of Monday August 24, 2026