By Nformi Sonde Kinsai
PM Chief Dr Joseph Dion Ngute, has instructed the Minister of Finance, Louis Paul Motazé, to urgently complete the technical arrangements required to make the Special Fund for the Promotion of Youth Employment operational.
The directive was issued at the close of the Cabinet meeting of 26 February 2026, held at the Prime Minister’s Office in Yaoundé. The session, attended by Ministers of State, Ministers, Ministers Delegate and Secretaries of State, focused on reviewing the Special Plan to Promote Youth Employment announced by President Paul Biya during his inaugural address and reiterated in his end-of-year message and the 60th National Youth Day celebrations.
The Prime Minister also ordered that all components of the Special Plan be consolidated into a dedicated document to enhance clarity and ensure rigorous monitoring and evaluation.
During the meeting, the Minister of Finance presented on incentives and financing instruments under the youth employment plan, while the Minister of Youth and Civic Education, Mounouna Foutsou, outlined the strategic framework for strengthening youth project support and supervision. The Minister of Trade, Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana, briefed Cabinet on preparations for the 14th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), scheduled for 26–29 March 2026.
In his presentation, Motazé detailed fiscal incentives aimed at boosting private sector and civil society participation in youth employment. Incorporated into the General Tax Code, the measures are designed to reduce labour costs and encourage the recruitment, training and professional integration of young graduates.
Subject to specific conditions, companies employing young people under 35 will benefit from tax exemptions and relief on employer contributions, as well as tax credits to reduce corporation tax. A statement issued after the meeting and signed by the Secretary General at the Prime Minister’s Office, Prof. Séraphin Magloire Fouda, noted that mechanisms have also been introduced to encourage donations to approved organization’s engaged in youth training and mentoring.
The order of 18 July 2025 on investment incentives contains provisions reinforcing companies’ obligations to create jobs and transfer technology, particularly in sectors with high potential to absorb young labor.
On the financial front, Motazé said the 2026 Finance Law established the youth employment fund with an initial allocation of FCFA 50 billion. The fund is intended to foster entrepreneurship and support policies promoting youth empowerment and professional integration. Its organizational structure and management procedures are being finalized.
Government has also decided to strengthen the technical, financial and operational capacities of the National Employment Fund by raising its contribution ceiling from FCFA 8 billion to FCFA 10 billion. Steps are equally under way to consolidate and improve the private investment guarantee mechanism to support young entrepreneurs.
For his part, Mounouna Foutsou highlighted key pillars of the youth support system, including the National Youth Observatory, the National Program for Civic Education and multifunctional youth promotion centers. Between 2023 and 2025, FCFA 6.5 billion was mobilized under the direct financing window, supporting 4,273 projects and generating 12,861 jobs. Under the guarantee window, agreements with about 30 financial institutions have mobilised more than FCFA 20 billion for youth-led projects.
He called for compulsory participation in civic and entrepreneurial training for beneficiaries and greater use of digital technology and decentralization to nurture national economic champions among young people.
On the WTO conference, the Prime Minister urged at least fortnightly assessments to ensure outstanding organizational and logistical issues are promptly addressed.
