Prominent human rights advocate Nkongho Felix Agbor Balla, President of the Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Africa (CHRDA), has delivered a message that cut through the usual pageantry and slogans associated with the celebration. Rather than addressing young people from a distance, Agbor Balla said he chose to speak with them, acknowledging their struggles, resilience, and central role in the nation’s future. “Youth Day should not be reduced to ceremonies, slogans, or parades,” Balla said in a statement widely shared across civic and youth platforms. “It must be a moment of national reflection a moment of truth.”
Cameroon is demographically young, with more than 60 percent of its population under the age of 35. Yet, he warned, this reality stands in stark contrast to the lived experience of millions of young Cameroonians who feel excluded, unemployed, unheard, and disconnected from the promise of their country. “This contradiction is dangerous,” he said, describing a nation that celebrates its youth symbolically while failing to integrate them meaningfully into economic, political, and social life.
A System That Frustrates Potential
In his address on Youth Day February 11, 2026, the CHRDA founder and president rejected narratives that portray young Cameroonians as lazy or unpatriotic. Instead, he pointed to systemic failures that prioritize personal connections over competence, silence over ideas, and loyalty over innovation. “Many are graduates without jobs. Entrepreneurs without access to finance. Creatives without platforms. Citizens without a meaningful voice,” Balla noted. He highlighted the tragic consequences of this exclusion irregular migration, exposure to violence, substance abuse, and widespread despair. “A country that wastes its youth mortgages its future,” he warned.
Youth as the Solution, Not the Problem
Despite the grim realities, Nkongho Felix Agbor Balla emphasized the resilience and ingenuity of Cameroonian youth. From farms and classrooms to digital spaces and creative industries, he said young people continue to contribute to national life, often without institutional support. “They are not the problem. They are the solution,” he declared.
The renowned civic advocate called for a shift from rhetorical commitments to structural youth empowerment, outlining key priorities: quality education aligned with real opportunities, decent jobs and fair wages, access to finance for young entrepreneurs, digital inclusion, peace and justice, and an open political space where youth voices matter beyond election periods. “Young people must move from spectators to stakeholders in shaping the future of Cameroon,” he said.
A Call to Action for Youth and the State
Addressing young Cameroonians directly, Agbor Balla urged them not to surrender their future or sell their voices cheaply. He encouraged civic engagement, innovation, critical thinking, and participation in nation-building, including politics. “Organize. Register. Vote. Innovate. Question. Build,” he said. “Change will not come because others are generous. It will come because young people are informed, organized, and determined.”
At the same time, his message to the state was unequivocal: Cameroon should not fear its youth but trust them, invest in them, and listen to them. As the country reflects on Youth Day 2026, Agbor Balla’s message stands as both a challenge and a reminder that the future of Cameroon is not an abstract promise. “The future of Cameroon is not tomorrow,” he said. “The future of Cameroon is the youth now.”
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