By Solange Tegwi
A new national mentorship initiative, MACOTA, has been launched to guide Cameroonian girls towards leadership and meaningful transformation. The program is a response to what its founders describe as a critical need for direction in a time of increasing social disorder.
The initiative draws inspiration from a 2006 message by President Paul Biya, who highlighted youth as the defining phase where one’s destiny is shaped, underscoring the indispensability of coaching. “Youthfulness is not in itself a virtue, but possesses all the potentials. It is the responsibility of those in charge of public affairs to make them hatch,” he stated.
Against a backdrop where the “whirlwind of modernity” has led many young people astray, a coalition of senior ministers has partnered with UNICEF and the Girls’ Movement to form a strategic synergy. The matrons of the program include the Ministers of Women’s Empowerment and the Family, Social Affairs, and Posts and Telecommunications.
“We identified a specific problem,” explained a program representative. “There are many ambitious, educated, and talented young girls in Cameroon who dream big. But it is one thing to know your destination and another to know the path. MACOTA is our solution to deliver youths from this ‘carrefour of confusion’.”
Targeting girls aged 14 to 24 with the slogan “One guided girl, a transformed world,” MACOTA aims to help participants find an ally to believe in their dreams, break barriers, and become future leaders. The name itself is derived from a Cameroonian lingua franca expression denoting a close, trusting friendship where worries and challenges can be freely expressed.
The programme creates avenues for girls to choose role models from among the nation’s leading women, granting them direct access for guidance. This structured mentorship seeks to reduce wasted time, avoid common mistakes, and prepare a new generation for leadership.
The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, UNICEF, alongside Prof. Marie Thérèse Abena Ondoua, Minister Minnette Libom Li Likeng, Minister Pauline Irène Nguene, and a plethora of other ministries, have joined forces under the supreme supervision of the Cameroonian government to empower girls to become leaders and, in turn, serve as guides for future generations.
