Cameroon’s demographics make youth central to the country’s economic development.  Citizens aged 18-35 constitute 57% of the country’s labour force (World Bank, 2025a). But the economy has struggled – and failed – to absorb the growing number of labour-market entrants, and many youth continue to face unemployment, underemployment, or vulnerable informal employment (World Bank, 2025a; Hyéfouais, 2019). 

Despite employment and entrepreneurship initiatives implemented by the government and development partners (World Bank, 2025a), almost one in four young Cameroonians (23.2%) are not in education, employment, or training, according to 2021 estimates (World Bank, 2025b).

As Tangko (2020) notes, youth unemployment contributes to economic marginalisation and  increases the risk of political instability as exclusion generates frustration, weakens confidence in institutions, and heightens social tensions. Cameroon’s “low” ranking in the 2023 Global Youth Development Index highlights persistent challenges for youth across a wide range of sectors, from education and employment to well-being and civic participation (Commonwealth, 2023).

Findings from the Afrobarometer Round 10 survey (2024) reinforce these concerns. While Cameroonian youth are more educated than older generations, they are also more likely to be unemployed. Young people identify inadequate training, skills mismatch, and a lack of experience as major barriers to employment. Job creation is their top priority for additional government spending to support young people, and unemployment ranks among the most important problems they want the government to address.

Young citizens see the government as largely failing to address their top concerns. Most see the country as heading in the wrong direction, and few express optimism about the near future.

Against this backdrop, a growing majority of young Cameroonians report considering emigration, primarily in search of better economic prospects.

Culled afrobarometer

Cameroon has tightened financial and operational requirements for private Hajj organizers ahead of the 2027 pilgrimage, with operators now required to provide a CFA10 million guarantee and demonstrate annual revenue of at least CFA100 million.

The new conditions are set out in an order signed on August 6, 2026, by Territorial Administration Minister Paul Atanga Nji. They apply to agencies and private operators seeking approval to organize pilgrimages to Islam’s holy sites.

The biggest change concerns the financial guarantees required from operators. Applicants must now show annual revenue of at least CFA100 million and provide a CFA10 million financial guarantee issued by a bank approved by the Central African Banking Commission (COBAC), the regional regulator and supervisor of credit, microfinance and payment institutions in CEMAC.

The guarantee must be secured two months before the start of each Hajj season, according to the ministerial order.

The government wants the requirement to provide greater financial protection for commitments made by organizers to pilgrims and service providers. It also seeks to ensure that operators have sufficient resources to meet obligations related to accommodation, transportation, meals and other services for pilgrims.

Higher Costs Expected for the 2027 Hajj

The new framework also tightens requirements for operators’ experience and qualifications. Applicants must be Cameroonian nationals, speak Arabic or English and have a strong knowledge of Hajj rituals.

They must also have personally completed the pilgrimage “at least three times by the date the application is submitted,” according to the order. The requirement gives greater weight to operators with direct experience of both the religious rites and the logistical demands of transporting and accommodating pilgrims in Saudi Arabia.

Agencies must also demonstrate adequate operational capacity. Applicants are required to have suitable premises, IT equipment and qualified permanent staff. They must provide preliminary contracts covering essential services, including accommodation, meals and transportation. Medical personnel must also accompany pilgrims during their stay.

The tighter rules come at a time when organizing the pilgrimage has become more demanding and expensive. On June 3, Cameroon’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Iya Tidjani, announced that the cost of the Hajj would increase in 2027. The rise is linked in part to higher service costs in Saudi Arabia and new requirements governing the pilgrimage.

The official cost for the 2026 Hajj was CFA3,262,620, unchanged from the previous year. The expected increase in 2027 will therefore come at a time when private operators will also need more financial resources to meet the new licensing requirements.

Source: Business in Cameroon

The military court in Yaoundé continued, on Thursday, August 13, the examination of two cases concerning 66 people arrested after the presidential election of October 25, 2025. Some have been detained for nearly ten months and are charged with spreading false information, rebellion, unlawful gathering, and lack of a national identity card.

The discussions mainly focused on the circumstances of their arrest and their possible participation in protests in the context of the post-election crisis. The election, officially won by Paul Biya, was followed by gatherings and arrests in several cities across the country.

Some defendants expressed their impatience after several months of provisional detention. According to lawyer Ndam, a member of the defense collective, many detainees fear spending nearly a year in prison before possibly being acquitted or released.

“They feel that everything is being done to drag out the proceedings and keep them in prison for no reason,” said the lawyer, as cited by the defense. He believes that the slow pace of the hearings is fueling the discouragement of the defendants and their families.

A procedure struggling to accelerate

The defense had obtained that the cases be divided into several groups to allow for examination by multiple judges. The cases are now listed about three times a month on the military court’s agenda, but this organization has not yet produced the expected acceleration, according to the lawyers.

Lawyer Ndam believes that a more sustained hearing rhythm, with the hearing of about twenty people per day, would have significantly reduced delays. Discussions were also complicated by the language barrier, even though all detainees present in court were eventually heard, a first according to the defense.

The hearing has been postponed to September 10. The public prosecutor will then present its requisitions, followed by the pleas of the defense lawyers. The military court will then have to rule on the criminal responsibility of the defendants, who are being prosecuted in two separate proceedings.

Culled from Beninwebtv