Where Are The 500,000 Jobs, Mr. President?

(Buea-Cameroon) During his February 10 speech to Cameroonian youths, Cameroon’s President, Paul Biya said he created 500,000 jobs for the youths in the modern sector in 2019 alone.

Many observers have reacted by asking where the jobs are. The President’s statement, analysts say, is not convincing, given the high unemployment in the country. The year 2019 in Cameroon was characterised by numerous protests as a result of lack of jobs.

The President, moreover, did not clarify whether the jobs were created in the private sector or the civil service, or both.

SAMPLERS:

Before the end of 2019, PhD Holders spent sleepless nights in front of the Ministry of Higher Education because of no of jobs.

Contract teachers clamouring for integration into the Government service here and there in the nation.

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Still, in same 2019, many Cameroonians were brought back from Libya because they were migrating to Europe for jobs and greener pasture, irked by the unemployment at home.

Yet, in 2019, some educated Cameroonians died in Mexico in an adventure to reach the USA, while some are languishing in immigration detention centres abroad, because of lack of jobs in Cameroon.

Back home, insufficient jobs have rendered the youths (leaders of tomorrow) to indulge in betting and very unscrupulous activities like kidnapping for ransom, stealing and scamming, just to survive.

Still, in 2029, the crisis in the two English regions has forced many private companies to fold up or lay off some workers. The crisis has resulted in thousands going unemployed.

Critics, however, have observed that, even if the 500,000 jobs were created as the President stated in his speech, there are not enough as compared to the number of Cameroonians that left school that same year.

The youth unemployment in Cameroon is still very high because the ageing population has occupied most of the positions in Government and also exceeded the retirement age that is above 60 in different categories. With the present governance in the country, investors have been scared off, and the private sector that employs the bulk of workers is still struggling.

Other schools of thought have it that, if the jobs are there, the working conditions and insecurity in some parts of the country have not made it possible for the youths to have such jobs.

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