“We Have Scored Remarkable Successes”

“ The Governor of the Far-North Region,
•    The    President of the Far-North Regional Council,
•    The Mayor of Maroua,
•    The Far-North Regional Campaign Coordinator and Speaker of the National Assembly,
•    Administrative, Traditional, and Religious Authorities,
•    Ladies and Gentlemen,
•    I extend my heartfelt thanks to the Mayor of the City of Maroua and the other speakers who have spoken today, for their kind words addressed to me, my wife, and the delegation accompanying me.
•    People of the Far-North Region,
•    Ladies and Gentlemen,
•    Dear friends,
I am deeply touched to see that so many of you have come to meet me.
Thank you for your warm welcome. Thank you for your affection. Thank you for the support you have continued to show me, year in, year out. Despite the daily challenges, despite the false omens, the slander,  the fabrications.
Yes, dear friends. You have remained loyal to the institutions since my accession to the highest office. You have remained rock-solid in your commitment to me. You have remained steadfast in your support of my efforts to make our dear and beautiful country, a land of peace and prosperity.
This does not surprise me.
I know your courage and your commitment. I know your sincerity. I know your loyalty.
I feel good among you.
You are aware of my attachment to your Region, to its daughters and sons. You are aware of my sensitivity to the problems you face. You are aware of my frankness and my sincerity.
I have come to speak to you, from the heart, to tell you once again, face to face, how much you mean  to me and how much I care about you.
I am well aware of the problems that are of concern to you. I am aware of the unfulfilled expectations that make you doubt the future.
Based on my own experience, I can assure you that these problems are not impossible to overcome.
Youth unemployment is a scourge that affects your region, but also all the other regions. Moreover, it is not a specifically Cameroonian problem. No country in the world is spared by it.
However, we must not resign ourselves to it. Commendable efforts have been made in recent years to offer our youth more employment opportunities in the public service and in the various sectors of our economy. We have scored remarkable successes. We will keep up these efforts. I am resolutely committed to them.
As I speak, the teams I have set up are working tirelessly on innovative ideas that will definitely enable us to drastically reduce this phenomenon.
I will never resign myself to the current situation. I will not rest until significant progress has been achieved in this area.
Certainly, much has already been done. But I can assure you that the best is still to come.
We will demonstrate greater inventiveness and ingenuity to facilitate the socio-economic integration and self-entrepreneurship of our young compatriots.
We will further professionalize training at all levels of education, with a view to better matching training with job market needs.
Substantial efforts will be made to improve vocational training in growth sectors, such as agriculture, livestock farming, and crafts. But also in innovative and high-potential fields, such as digital technology and technological development.
We will optimize the many programmes dedicated to young people and make the most of existing training centres and business incubators.
We will also, at the same time, develop specific financing mechanisms for projects initiated by young people.
The National Employment Fund will be restructured with this in mind.
My goal, my dear compatriots, is that every young person, wherever they may be, should have opportunities to easily find a job or become an entrepreneur. No young person, whether or not a certificate holder, will be left behind.
It is an ambitious goal, certainly. But, it is within our reach. I have no doubt about it. You must also believe in it. Firmly.
I made a commitment that the situation of women and young people would be at the heart of my concerns during the next seven-year term.
I will keep my word. You can be sure of that. I urge you to, once again, kindly lend me your valuable support in this regard.
You know how much I value improving the status of women. We have made great strides in this area in recent years. We are determined to continue these efforts.
We should step up efforts to educate and empower women, as we need more women at all levels of responsibility. We will ensure, more than in the past, that their rights are respected and that they are protected against all kinds of violence.
•    Ladies and Gentlemen,
•    My dear compatriots,
I am also aware of your expectations in terms of infrastructure, be it road, energy, education or healthcare.
Much has been achieved in this area, here and elsewhere.
The asphalted road network has grown steadily over the years, and now stands at almost 10 700 kilometres.
These efforts will continue, particularly with regard to strategic roads such as Mora-Dabanga- Kousseri, Ngaoundere-Garoua and Ebolowa-Akom II- Kribi.
We have fought hard over the last few years to raise the necessary funding. Our efforts have finally paid off. To date, the companies responsible for carrying out the work have been selected and have begun deploying in the field. At last, work can begin.
As it were, your ordeal will soon end.
In addition to the strategic roads I have just mentioned, I wish to assure the people of this region, just like those of other regions, that we will implement a special programme to rehabilitate degraded roads and construct new ones. This special programme, to which substantial financial resources will be allocated, will ease movement for our people and breathe new life into our economy.
A great deal of progress has been achieved in the key sectors of water and electricity. We are about to start reaping substantial benefits therefrom.
The Nachtigal hydroelectric dam is now operational.
The ongoing construction of transmission lines to deliver the energy produced to industries and households will boost our economy and significantly improve the well-being of our people. Other energy projects, such as the Bini dam in Warak and the Kikot-Mbebe dam, are due to come on stream shortly.
We will also strive to increase the number of solar power plants and complete the linking of the northern and southern interconnected grids, in order to improve energy supply, particularly in the northern regions.
•    Ladies and Gentlemen,
As you know, the school and university map has been substantially improved. New schools have been built and equipped throughout the country. The Far- North, like all the other regions, can boast of a functional State university and several private higher education institutions.
Progress has also been recorded in the health sector. The health map has been expanded with the opening of new regional health centres in Maroua, Garoua, Ngaoundere and Bertoua. The rehabilitation of infrastructure and upgrading of technical...