My Response to the 2026 Youth Day Address by Cameroon‘s President, His Excellency Paul Biya.
Happy Youth Day to all the young people of Cameroon (I am not that old myself)!
You are not only the strength of this nation — you are the architects of its future.
As the Head of State rightly emphasized, “many of you are excelling in agricultural processing… where you start up businesses and create jobs each day.” That statement is profound.
Agriculture today is no longer subsistence farming. It is value addition, agro-processing, supply chain innovation, export potential, and enterprise development. It is capital formation. It is job creation. It is national transformation.
Agriculture is the new petroleum.
If our youth approach it with technology, discipline, and entrepreneurial thinking, it can:
• Reduce unemployment
• Strengthen food security
• Increase exports
• Build rural economies
• Create generational wealth
To the youth of Cameroon:
Believe in your capacity. Build with courage. Innovate with confidence. Lead with integrity.
Cameroon needs your creativity, your resilience, and your bold leadership.
Happy Youth Day.
Long live our great nation, Cameroon.
Prof. Victor Mbarika, Ph.D.President, Board of Trustees
The ICT University
