Under the theme: “Cameroonian Diaspora in France: Issues of Cohesion, Fighting Isolation, Rebuilding Trust and Living-Together, Integration, and Contribution to Cameroon’s Development,” a consultative meeting for the Cameroonian diaspora in France took place on Saturday, April 18, 2026.
The Minister of Youth Affairs and Civic Education, Mounouna Foutsou, participated in the event via videoconference.
Organized by the Emerging and Republican Youth of Cameroon JERC, the initiative received high praise from Minister Mounouna Foutsou. He warmly congratulated the association’s National President, Cathy Meba, whom he described as an “indomitable lioness of the youth movement.”
He also commended the grassroots work of the JERC-France Coordinator, Dieudonné Mbeleg, whose mobilization efforts successfully gathered a resolutely committed diaspora. The Minister recalled the strategic importance of this meeting within an international context marked by economic shifts and profound social changes, emphasizing that diasporas are, now more than ever, key players in national development and cohesion.
The Minister highlighted the considerable potential of the Cameroonian diaspora in France while acknowledging persistent challenges that hinder its full growth: the fragmentation of the associative fabric, mistrust between compatriots, the isolation of newcomers, and insufficient coordination mechanisms.
He called for a collective and structured mobilization, insisting that “without trust, there can be neither sustainable mobilization nor a common project.” He also presented concrete government actions favoring the diaspora, notably through the Support Program for the Return and Integration of Diaspora Youth PARIJEDI, the National Civic Education Program through Moral, Civic, and Entrepreneurial Rearmament PRONEC-REAMORCE, and the Diaspora and Local Youth Joint-Venture – DIALYJ initiative, all aimed at facilitating socio-economic insertion and collaboration between youth abroad and those at home.
A key highlight of the day was Minister Mounouna Foutsou’s solemn invitation to the diaspora to participate in the first edition of the National Integration Camp for Diaspora Youth – CINA-JEDI, scheduled for August 9–14, 2026, in Yaounde. Closing his address, the Minister reaffirmed the Government’s deep conviction: the future of the diaspora will not be built on division or isolation, but on unity, trust, and collective engagement.
Drawing on the vision often reiterated by the President of the Republic, H.E. Paul Biya—that Cameroon is one and indivisible—he invited every compatriot abroad to embody this ideal of unity to build a strong, united Cameroon firmly on the path toward emergence.
