By Boris Esono Nwenfor
BUEA, PAV – Young leaders, institutions and development partners will converge in Yaoundé on March 4–5, 2026, for the National Youth Breakfast (NYB), a youth–institution dialogue and policy exchange platform convened by the Cameroon Youth Awards.
The two-day, invitation-only forum will take place at the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung in Bastos and is expected to bring together between 50 and 70 youth leaders, innovators, civic actors and professionals from across the country, alongside representatives of development agencies, diplomatic missions, civil society and public institutions.
The National Youth Breakfast is a neutral, solution-oriented space designed to connect youth-driven innovation with institutional expertise. At a time when Cameroon faces interconnected development challenges, from youth unemployment and limited access to quality public services to climate vulnerability and governance concerns, the initiative seeks to ensure that young people are not merely beneficiaries of policy but active contributors to it.
A Platform for Dialogue and Solutions
Across Cameroon, youth are already leading initiatives addressing employment, entrepreneurship, public service delivery, climate action and civic participation. Yet, many of these efforts remain under-recognised and lack structured opportunities for engagement with policymakers and development actors.
The NYB aims to close that gap by creating a credible, inclusive and recurring platform for constructive, evidence-based dialogue.
The Cameroon Youth Awards (CYA), the convener of the event, is a national platform dedicated to recognising and amplifying the impact of young leaders and innovators. Through awards programmes, mentorship initiatives and dialogue platforms, CYA identifies and showcases outstanding youth-led solutions to social, economic, environmental and civic challenges.
By convening the National Youth Breakfast, CYA seeks to move beyond celebration to structured engagement, providing young people with visibility, access to professional networks and meaningful interaction with institutions that shape national development priorities.
Importantly, the NYB does not seek direct financial or project funding. Instead, it prioritises visibility for youth-led initiatives, knowledge exchange, capacity building, mentorship and access to institutional networks.
Key Themes on the Agenda
Discussions and activities during the two-day forum will align with key national and global development priorities. These include youth employment, entrepreneurship and skills development; public service delivery in education, health, water and transport; climate action and environmental sustainability; governance, democracy and civic participation; as well as human capital development and social inclusion.
On Day One, participants will engage in youth pitches and interactive dialogue sessions, where selected young leaders will present innovative initiatives and policy ideas. Expert reflections and a networking lunch will further facilitate cross-sector exchange.
Day Two will focus on youth leadership and civic engagement sessions, thematic breakout workshops and a plenary reflection aimed at outlining a way forward. The format is designed to encourage both depth of discussion and practical collaboration.
The event targets young leaders between the ages of 22 and 35, with balanced representation across regions, gender and sectors. By ensuring diversity, the organisers hope to reflect the varied realities and experiences of Cameroon’s youth population.
Development partners, United Nations agencies, embassies and institutions have been invited to engage through technical facilitation, participation in policy exchange sessions, capacity-building workshops and mentorship opportunities. Their involvement will enhance the credibility, policy relevance and potential impact of youth contributions emerging from the dialogue.
Expected Impact
Among the expected outcomes of the National Youth Breakfast are increased visibility for youth-led initiatives and policy ideas, strengthened trust between youth and institutions, and enhanced understanding of youth perspectives on governance and development.
The forum also aims to identify concrete collaboration and mentorship opportunities and lay the foundation for a recurring national youth–institution engagement platform. In a context where institutional trust and inclusive participation remain central to sustainable development, the National Youth Breakfast represents a strategic effort to position young people at the heart of national conversations on democracy, social transformation and economic opportunity.
