By Olive Ejang
The Minister of Youth Affairs and Civic Education, Mounouna Foutsou, has officially launched the 57th edition of Youth Day activities within the South West Region.
The launching ceremony took place on the 28th of January 2023 in Tombel, Kupe Muanenguba Division, South West Region.
As part of the launching ceremony, the Minister also inaugurated the Multi-Purpose Youths Empowerment Center, Tombel, and distributed biometric cards to the youths.
In line with the ‘Three Year Special Youth Plan,’ Moral, Civic and Entrepreneurial Rearmament with its French Acronym, PRONEC-REAMORCE, the minister distributed materials to young beneficiaries of the 2022/2023 batches in Kupe Muanenguba.
Some of the items include laptops, desktop computers, cassava processing machines, grinding mills, sewing machines, hair dryers, fridges, dehydrators, sprayers, multi-purpose printers, grass cutters.
He announced that the construction of other Youths Multi-Purpose Empowerment Center in the division shall be done progressively in Nguti and Bangem.
Mounouna promised to equip the Tombel Multi-Purpose Youths Empowerment Center in the days ahead.
The minister said his coming to Tombel is an opportunity to meet with the youths, see the reality of young people and covey government’s support to their various needs.
He thanked Kupe Muanenguba youths for the role they played for the return of peace and normalcy in the division.
Mounouna told them to preserve the peace they enjoy and be ambassadors of peace wherever they go.
He said in the context of unemployment, underemployment and other ills challenging the youths, the Ministry has put in place many structures and programmes to help the youths overcome their challenges.
The Minister mentioned that Multi-Purpose Youth Empowerment Centers operate a variety of professional and educative programmes for the fight against poverty.
He called on the youths to use the opportunity to access the basic social needs at low cost offered by many partners like the government, national and international partners.
Earlier, in her welcome address, the Mayor of Tombel Council, Rose Ngassa described the Minister’s visit as timely, with youths yearning for employment.
She said all the programmes under the ministry will creat varied opportunities for the youths of Tombel Municipality.
The mayor expressed joy on the construction of the Multi-Purpose Youths Empowerment Center in Tombel.
She pleaded that the center be equipped so that it should be put to effective use.
One of the beneficiaries of the Three-Year Special Youth Plan, Enongene Melanie Dione, thanked the Minister for giving her a Cassava Processing Machine. She promised to use the machine to employ others, generate income in order to alleviate poverty.
Also present at the event was the Deputy Secretary General at the Presidency of the Republic, Elung Paul Che, the Senior Divisional Officer for Kupe Muanenguba, Mungambo Ekema William, the Section President of CPDM Kupe Muanenguba III, Mbule Valentine, amongst others.
