Launch of the Initiative to Raise 10 Million Euros to Create 350,000 Businesses for Young People in Cameroon

Douala, February 20, 2025 –  The United Nations Migration Agency – International Organization for Migration (IOM), in partnership with the Ministry of Youth and Civic Education (MINJEC), is officially launching the fundraising initiative for the implementation of the Youth and Migration, Football Cameroon (YMM Football Cameroon) project. This initiative aims to mobilize resources and foster partnerships to tackle the urgent issue of irregular migration, while creating economic opportunities for young people on Cameroonian soil.

An integrated analysis of data on migration patterns, reasons for travelling and demographic characteristics in Cameroon and the Central African Republic (CAR) revealed that economic factors (58%), family reunification (18%) and access to services (10%) are the main drivers of human mobility in Cameroon and the region:

Through the YWAM Football Cameroon project, IOM and MINJEC aim to promote opportunities for young people to grow and develop at local level, to prepare them for a better future. The aim is to mobilize the sum of 10 million euros for the creation of 350,000 businesses to be run by young Cameroonians. The resources mobilized will specifically enable :

• Promote alternatives to irregular migration through the development of local economic opportunities.
• Raise awareness among young people of the risks and dangers of irregular migration;
• Offer training and capacity-building opportunities to young Cameroonians;
• Strengthen organizational and institutional frameworks related to migration;
• Promote regular migration;
• Support young people in setting up their own businesses.

Today’s event in Douala will bring together representatives from the private sector, diplomatic missions, the diaspora and United Nations agencies.

This project is in line with the three objectives of the IOM General Management Strategy 2024 – 2028, to invest in Cameroon’s future and build a better future for young Cameroonians.

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For further information, please contact:

• Florence Laure GAMGO, IOM Cameroon, Tel.: +237 691 77 73 83, fgamgo@iom.int
• Gisèle MASSINA, IOM Cameroon, Tel. : +237 6 99 07 21 64, gmassina@iom.int