The Secretary-General of the Ministry of Youth and Civic Education – MINJEC Benga Zachée Robert Théophile, on behalf of the Minister, received a World Bank identification mission on Wednesday, June 10, 2026. The mission focused on the Program-for-Results – PforR for social protection and the economic inclusion of young people.
The main purpose of this working session was to present strategic directions for ensuring the long-term sustainability of youth economic inclusion. Emma Wadie Hobson, Lead Social Protection Specialist at the World Bank headquarters and head of the delegation, praised the noble work being accomplished by the Ministry of Youth and Civic Education in the fields of socio-economic integration and the promotion of youth entrepreneurship.
Discussing the Program-for-Results – PforR, the head of the World Bank delegation explained that it aims to improve the quality of life for 65,000 vulnerable young people aged 18 to 35 in regional capitals by funding income-generating activities – IGAs in predefined sectors. The program operates within the sectors of social protection, economic inclusion, and the shielding of vulnerable populations against economic shocks.
It stimulates youth empowerment and promotes activities such as vocational training, mentoring, agribusiness, household waste processing, carpentry, and advisory support to help youth and women develop or restructure their IGAs. Beneficiaries will be selected by a multi-stakeholder municipal committee to be trained in life skills and basic management at Multifunctional Youth Promotion Centers – CMPJ before the funds are disbursed.
Furthermore, sustaining the economic inclusion of young people is part of a broader, comprehensive framework aimed at the long-term sustainability of social safety nets in Cameroon.
During the discussions, MINJEC officials presented the financing circuit utilized by the Ministry of Youth and Civic Education to clear up specific areas of ambiguity raised by the identification mission. This circuit begins at the entry point, where young people register with the National Youth Observatory and enroll for the Biometric Youth Card. This is followed by the REAMORCE program (moral, civic, and entrepreneurial rearmament) at the CMPJs—which serve as real laboratories for mindset transformation. From there, young people can choose either the financing window, which features two components (a direct financing window and a guarantee window), or civic volunteering.
Following these fruitful exchanges, both parties expressed a strong interest in continuing their collaboration and further developing the PforR program.
