LOYOC Amplifies Cameroon’s Voice At Global Youth Acceleration Summit

By Brian Mboh

Local Youth Corner Cameroon, LOYOC, through its Project Manager, Mansuru Usuman, carried the country’s voice at the 2026 edition of the Acceleration Week for the Global Youth Development Program, with a presentation on LOYOC’s major flagship sports for peace project, dubbed “NA WE WE”, as an effective model to promote peace, social cohesion, and healthy living between displaced persons and host communities in Cameroon.

**Dr Mansuru Usuman , Project Manager, Speaking in Shanghai**

The one-week youth conclave, which kicked off on June 11 to 17, 2026, in Shanghai and Wuhan, China, brought together about 200 youth-led program leaders across the globe. Mentors include heads of UN agencies, accelerators, investment institutions, foundations, NGOs, and established enterprises.

Coordinators include professional experts from UN agencies and international organizations.

The Acceleration Week is composed of pre-meetings, a launching ceremony, workshops, partnership meetings, networking activities, and study visits. Youth leaders will be grouped into eight thematic clusters, with each cluster comprising approximately 25 programs. Throughout the week, the youth leaders will have access to professional guidance on business models, market connections, partnership strategies, financial sustainability, social impact, and so on. They will also be connected with Chinese enterprises, investment institutions, and accelerators to build partnerships. Each of the programs could be publicized globally through “Voice of Youth” videos and a wide range of media coverage.

Speaking in China, LOYOC Project Manager, said the event serves as an opportunity for exchanges and partnership building. As well as seek new support, to assistant the Non-Governmental Organisation in running its activities in Cameroon.

“I am here in China, representing Cameroon, at the Global Week Acceleration Program as one of the delegates from over 120 countries globally. This platform is a very important means, for me as a young person because it gives me the opportunity to network and share with my peers. The event is very important for LOYOC, in that it gives an opportunity to build new partnerships, seek for support, and to share our locally-led initiatives.”

“Local Youth Corner Cameroon is an organisation created in 2002, with the aim of supporting youth people across the ten regions of the country to address the social, political, and economic challenges that they are facing. LOYOC has been one of the locally youth-led organisations that has been spearheading the implementation of the youth, peace and security agenda in Cameroon. Working in close collaboration with UN agencies, international organisations, and Civil Society Groups.

**Participants at Global Youth Conclave in China**

Within our different programs, we have been able to support different youth-led organisations and young people in the country by building their capacities and supporting them in implementing different projects in their communities through sub-grants. These opportunities give an insight and shape our programming back home to see how to better support young people, to participate actively and inclusively addressing challenges that actually concerns them,” Mansuru explained.

About NA-WE-WE Sports Jamboree
Five years ago, Local Youth Corner Cameroon, LOYOC, had a simple but powerful conviction: that sports and recreational activities have the ability to build social cohesion, moral, civic, and entrepreneurial rearmament between and among diverse groups of people.

It could bring people together across lines of fear, displacement, and difference. It could create space for young people who had been forced from their homes to stand on a pitch alongside the people who had received them, and find, in the shared language of play, something worth protecting together.

That conviction became the Na We We Sports Jamboree. Na We We, meaning “We are one”, is now one of LOYOC’s most visible and impactful peacebuilding programmes. It has grown from a local youth-led initiative in Yaounde into an annual Jamboree that moves across Cameroon’s regions, taking its message of social cohesion to the communities that need it most.

This year, it arrives in Tiko, Fako Division, South West Region, from July 4 to 30 August 2026 for its 5th Edition, under the theme: Stronger Together in Times of Crisis Through Sports.

strained resources, heightened tensions, and the slow erosion of trust that comes when fear goes unaddressed. Young people on both sides of that divide risked becoming isolated, radicalised, or simply lost.

LOYOC’s response was to build something joyful. A sports and recreational activity where every team is deliberately composed of both IDPs and host community members. Where team names like Peace, Solidarity, Tolerance, and Love are not decorative but instructional. Where, before each match, a player takes five minutes to speak to the crowd about what their team name means, and what it demands of all of us.

Giving Kids the Gift of Sight: Magrabi ICO Cameroon Eye Institute Offers Free Eye Screenings for Children

By Etienne Mainimo Mengnjo

Ten-year-old Amadou stares intensely at the chalkboard, his eyes watering from the strain. The letters written by his teacher blur into charcoal smudges. As his classmates scribbled down the lesson that would appear on their upcoming primary school exams, Amadou could only guess at the words, feeling the familiar, sinking anxiety of a child falling behind through no fault of his own.

Amadou is not alone. He is just one face among millions of children across Cameroon who quietly battle poor vision in classrooms every day. In a region where specialized pediatric eye care is a luxury few families can afford, a simple, treatable vision impairment frequently forces vulnerable children to fail their exams, derailing their education and trapping them in a cycle of limited opportunities.

To fight against this, the Magrabi ICO Cameroon Eye Institute, (MICEI), has launched a mass free eye consultation campaign targeting children aged 0-18. The initiative, running from June 16 to 18, aims to dismantle the visual barriers that prevent Cameroon’s youth from succeeding academically.

Dr. Henry Nkumbe, the CEO of the institution, unveiled the campaign on June 15 in Yaounde. The announcement was made on the heels of the ongoing 10th edition of the Yaoundé International Business, SME and Partnership Exhibition, or PROMOTE 2026.

**Children undergoing eye screening** (Photo: MICEI)

Speaking to the press, Dr. Nkumbe said the free eye screening is in honour of the 2026 International Day of the African Child, observed annually on June 16. While the official continental theme focuses on clean water, hygiene, and sanitation as critical human rights, Nkumbe emphasized that a child’s right to a future relies heavily on their ability to see the world around them.

“There’s a very strong link between education, quality education, and visual health because a child who can’t see well can’t perform well in school,” Dr. Nkumbe said. The hospital’s intervention highlights the critical role vision plays in a child’s development.

“We are aware of a very important ingredient in quality education, which is quality visual health and this consultation reaffirms our commitment to ensuring that sight, essential for learning and everyday life, is never a barrier to quality education,” Dr. Nkumbe said. “Whatever we do today, whether positive or negative, will have an impact on the world they are going to live in tomorrow.”

For the millions of Cameroonian children struggling to read their textbooks, the intervention by the specialized institute represents a turning point.

The Children of the Forest, a youth group dedicated to climate and environmental advocacy, performed graced the stand of the MICEI. “There is no better way than to have them involved in sharing the message on the importance of protecting the environment,” Dr. Nkumbe added.

Based just outside the capital, MICEI operates as the first eye care hospital with subspecialties in the Francophone Central African sub-region. The facility is a project of the Africa Eye Foundation, a foreign association registered in Switzerland.

By offering world-class pediatric ophthalmological services, the hospital is committed to providing high quality and accessible eye health services to all who need it in order to improve the well-being and productivity of the population in Cameroon in particular and Africa in general.

**Magrabi ICO Cameroon Eye Institute stand at PROMOTE 2026** (Photo: MICEI)

By offering world-class pediatric ophthalmological services and breaking down the financial barriers to care, the hospital aims to boost both the well-being and the future economic productivity of the population.

The three-day clinic at the PROMOTE exhibition grounds has transformed a major business venue into a hub of hope for families. For children who have spent years squinting at blackboards and fearing exam days, the chance to finally see clearly means they can finally look forward to a fair chance at a bright future.

Sandrine Nnanga Presents New Album “AWAKE”

By Brian Mboh

Cameroonian singer Sandrine Nnanga opens a new chapter in her career with the release of her second album, “Awake”, available since June 5, 2026. Presented to the press a few days before its official release in Douala, this 13-track is intended to be an intimate, luminous and deeply human work, carried by the themes of love, hope, resilience and prayer.

**Sandrine Nnanga speaking to the press**

The artist describes ‘’Awake’’ as an invitation to “open your eyes to your own light”. Born from silence, introspection and personal reconstruction, the album presents itself as a musical journey where each song constitutes a step towards self-acceptance and renewal.

Lasting approximately 50 minutes, Awake brings together 13 tracks performed in French, English, Douala and Fang-Béti. The album navigates between several musical universes: Bikutsi, Makossa, Rumba, RnB, Dancehall, Afro swing, Zouk and World music.

This sound diversity testifies to the artist’s desire to combine modernity and Cameroonian cultural heritage. The work opens with “Bipolar”, a Bikutsi title which explores the twists and turns of love and trust.

It continues with “Nsili”, a duet with Florent Awono, a song which dramatizes married life for Sandrine Nnanga, “women must also reassure their husbands by letting them ask them questions”. Then “Ndolo”, a song dedicated to timeless love. Other titles like “Let”, “Pardonne-moi”, “Béni de Dieu” or “Tété” respectively address courage, forgiveness, faith and resilience.

To enrich this album, Sandrine Nnanga surrounded herself with several recognized figures from the Cameroonian music scene. We find in figures like : Florent Awono, Salatiel, Ben Decca and Adah Akenji, who each bring their artistic color to this plural work. These collaborations reinforce the collective and universal dimension of the project.

**Sandrine Nnanga exchange with media professionals**

More than just an album, Awake appears as a testimony of life. Prayer is present as a common thread, not in an institutional dimension, but as an inner force which accompanies human beings in their trials. The texts also evoke love in all its forms: romantic love, self-love, forgiveness and gratitude.

The final title, “Outro: Ngok”, takes the listener back to the cultural roots of the artist, those of the Fongs de Zoétélé in Dja and Lobo. A true return to the sources, this musical conclusion completes an artistic journey marked by authenticity and the quest for oneself.

After the success of the album Introduction and the EP Essence, Sandrine Nnanga confirms with Awake her status as a major voice in contemporary Cameroonian music. The artist will continue to promote this opus through several events, including a live concert scheduled for June 28, 2026 in Paris at the Alhambara Theater, where she will present the album to the African diaspora.

With Awake, Sandrine Nnanga does not seek to impress with noise or excess. Rather, she offers a sincere work, driven by gentleness, emotion and depth. An album that invites everyone to reconnect with their inner light and which undoubtedly marks one of the most accomplished stages of their artistic career.

Chief Njie Mbonde Albert Bags Best TV Journalist Award

By Brian Mboh

Renowned journalist working with the State broadcaster ,CRTV, His Royal Majesty , Chief Njie Mbonde Albert, has been recognised as the Best Television Journalist in the Country. The multi award-winning media personality bagged the award during the maiden ceremony of the ” Nuit International de Presse”.

**Chief Njie Mbonde Albert poses with his award following the official presentation ceremony**

The ceremony held last Saturday, June 13,2026, in Contonou, capital city of Benin. The event was attended by several media personalities

Political desk editor and ace sports commentator with the Cameroon Radio and Television ,CRTV, Njie Mbonde Albert, is the crowned Chief of Bokwaongo-Membea village in the Buea Municipality, South West Region.

The jury saluted the track record, devotion and professionalism, editorialist and political desk editor as well as his contribution in the promotion of the press in Cameroon and Africa.

The jury members made their choice as watch several professional works of journalists across Africa and congratulated Njie Mbonde Albert, for his flexibility with his reports in conflicts zones in Cameroon and anchor of the CRTV Morning Talkshow “Hello” shifting the balance to his favour.

Speaking after receiving the award, Njie Mbonde said he was overwhelmed, to see his works put into competition with that of other colleagues, doing some remarkable work on the continent.

“I am particularly pleased with this distinction because the jury is an all presse jury who understand, the challenges and intricacies of our job. I am also delighted because works from colleagues on the continent, were put to compete which shows that we are doing something remarkable. I seize the opportunity to thank my colleagues with whom, I have embraced this journey in the past 26 years, because my recognition is fruit of my consistency,” Njie Mbonde said.

**CRTV’s Political Desk Editor, Chief Njie Mbonde Albert, receives the Award for Best TV Journalist**

It should be recalled that in 2018, Njie Mbonde lifted the Best Radio Journalist of The Year Award during an award ceremony organised by ASCOM.

In 2019, he also won the Best Radio News Presenter Award by the same award committee. He has won over a dozen other awards and recognitions in his journalism career that spans over two decades uninterruptedly.

Njie Mbonde rose to prominence during his time as presenter of the wake-up show, Hello, on the state television.

He was also famous for anchoring programmes like Cameroon This Morning, and Cameroon Calling on CRTV Radio.

His dynamism and creativity to move from sports reporting to political reporting has also attracted praises from his fans and colleagues.

Njie Mbonde has also been Press Officer for junior nation football selection.

His dynamısm and creativity to move from sports reporting to political reporting has also attracted praises from his fans and colleagues.

Njie Mbonde has also been Team Press Officer for junior national football selection.

Besides his works in the media landscape, Njie Mbonde, who is in his forties, is a sports and education promoter both in his native Bokwaongo village and beyond. He also supports the ideas of living together, hospitality, national integration and cultural diversity.

Gov’t Transfers Management Of Parcours Vita Fitness Centers To City Councils

By Brian Mboh

The Prime Minister, Chief Dr. Joseph Dion Ngute, in an order signed by his Secretary General, Fouda Séraphin Magloire, addressed to the Minister of Sports and Physical Education, has instructed the formal transfer of management of Cameroon’s fitness and sports complexes “Parcours Vita” to the local municipal councils.

**Yde denizens during sports session at Yde Parcours Vita**

In the correspondence dated June 10, 2026, the Star Building Scribe urged Prof. Narcisse Mouelle Kombi to immediately engage the mayors of the five councils hosting these different sports infrastructures in the management of the facilities.

The move is part of the government’s effort to ensure the decentralization of sports and physical education facilities. The Head of Government’s order is relative to the framework established by Ministerial Order number 001/A/MINSEP of April 9, 2012, which outlines the technical conditions and responsibilities for transferring state powers to local councils.

The Minister of Sports and Physical Education is expected to play the role of supervisory organ, with the overseeing, monitoring, and evaluating of how the city councils exercise their new responsibilities.

The Sports and Physical Education boss will submit a report on the final transition of the facilities to the councils.

Drawing over thousands of citizens on ordinary days and weekends for exercise, the multisports facilities serve as a venue for recreation, community wellbeing, and a place for business.

For Shofola Brice, Football Began Not With A Goal, But With A Diagnosis

By Etienne Mainimo Mengnjo

For most of his early childhood, the boy who would one day dream of European pitches saw himself in a white coat, not a jersey. Medicine was the plan. Soccer was merely a pastime.

**Shofola Brice in action** (Photo: Mainimo Etienne)

“To be honest, in the early days of my life I never thought of becoming a footballer,” Brice said. “I always dreamt of becoming a doctor. By that time I played football just for fun and entertainment.”

That all changed at age 8. Brice happened to watch the final of a neighborhood competition, and something clicked. The intensity of the match, the roar of the small crowd, the visible stakes for players his own age—it landed differently than any childhood kickabout ever had.

“It was quite interesting,” he recalled. “This alone motivated me a lot, and I took a bold step by registering in a football training center.”

It was the first real decision of his young athletic life, and it set in motion a journey that now has him aiming for Europe’s top flights.

Since joining a training center, Brice has attended numerous competitions. But one moment remains his favorite—not because it was a victory, but because of how he carried himself in defeat.

That moment came during the under-9 final of the “Tournoi Foot a la Base,” a youth tournament that tests the mettle of the region’s most promising young players. Brice admitted he felt immense pressure as kickoff approached.

The stands were fuller than usual. The other team looked confident. Any 9-year-old might have crumbled. Instead, Brice stayed composed.

“Though feeling a lot of pressure, I managed to stay composed,” he said. His team ultimately lost the final, but Brice was named man of the match—a small piece of silverware that felt, to him, heavier than a winner’s medal. “Was so proud of myself.”

That pride has carried him through the inevitable collisions between school and sport.

Like many young athletes with professional ambitions, Brice lives a double life. By day, he is a student with assignments and attendance records. By afternoon, he is a midfielder in training, working on the precise skills that he believes will separate him from the pack.

The two worlds do not always align.

“My school program sometimes coincides with my sporting activity,” Brice said. To manage the conflict, he has learned to negotiate. On regular training days, he leaves school earlier than usual with permission. For important games, he approaches his discipline master directly.

“He lets me go,” Brice said. But there is a line he is willing to cross. “If the game is an important game and the coach needs me most, I would not attend lessons on that day.”

It is a calculated risk—one that many aspiring professional footballers take long before they ever sign a contract.

When asked who shapes his game, Brice does not hesitate. He names Enzo Fernandez, the Argentine midfielder who rose from River Plate to Benfica and then to Chelsea, collecting a World Cup winner’s medal along the way.

“He’s got quality leadership and excellent reading of the game,” Brice said, “which greatly inspires me.”

Fernandez is known for his range of passing and his ability to control matches from central midfield—traits Brice actively tries to mirror. On the training ground, he has identified one skill as his focus: the long pass.

“I work hard on training my ability to send long passes or transversals,” Brice said. “I think that acquiring this skill will actually make me a complete midfielder.”

The road to any professional career is lined with difficult afternoons—matches that go wrong, training sessions that feel pointless, moments of doubt. Brice does not pretend otherwise.

“Football games could sometimes be challenging and warrant you to abandon, but I never relent my efforts,” he said.

When a tough game leaf him questioning himself, he turns inward with a simple, direct mantra. “I tell myself: ‘You can do this, Shofi. You know where you are coming from.’”

That phrase; “you know where you are coming from”—is not just motivation. It is a reminder of the 8-year-old who once watched a neighborhood final and decided to change his future.

Brice’s vision for his career is specific and unflashy. He does not talk about signing for a global superclub on day one. He talks about getting a foot in the door.

“In the next five years, I see myself playing in a football club in Europe, either in the top division or lower division,” Brice said.

His preferred route is a familiar one for young African prospects: enrollment in a European football academy. From there, he hopes to be scouted, signed to a first team, and launched into the professional ranks.

“I would like to be enrolled in a football academy to start my professional career so that I could be scouted and signed to the first team,” he said.

For a boy who once dreamed of healing others, Shofola Brice is now learning to master a different craft entirely—one built on long passes, composure under pressure, and the quiet daily work of balancing schoolbooks with soccer boots. Whether he lands in a top division or a lower one, he has already proven he will not relent.

“You can do this, Shofi,” he tells himself. And so far, he has been right.

The Global Opportunity For African Professionals In Tech Is Real, But It Requires The Right Foundation – Mfòómé Bá’tí Europe (Banjika Ngo)

Mfòómé Bá’tí Europe (Banjika Ngo), Founder and Lead Instructor at WirfonCloud – WirfonCloud Academy, has stated that the global opportunity for African professionals in tech is real, but it is not automatic—it requires the right foundation, built in the right order. He made the declaration recently during an exclusive interview with The Post. He pointed out that after six years of training, what differentiates them from other cloud training providers is that they are selling the road, not the destination. According to him, everyone else sells the destination—Cloud, AI, certifications—but they sell the road that actually gets anyone there sustainably. Read the excerpts:

Excerpts:

The Post: Reflecting on WirfonCloud Academy’s 6-year journey, what has been the most surprising challenge you faced in the early years, and what milestone are you most proud of achieving?

Mfòómé Bá’tí Europe: The most surprising challenge was not technical. It was an assumption I had to fight — the idea that African learners needed simplified content. When I started, a lot of the feedback I received, even from well-meaning people, suggested I should water things down, make it easier, keep expectations low. What I discovered very quickly was that African learners are not lacking in capability — they are lacking in context. Nobody was teaching cloud and Linux using the world they already know. Every analogy, every example, every case study in most online courses came from Silicon Valley or London. My students in Kigali, Lagos, and Douala could follow the logic, but it never quite clicked the way it should. So we flipped that. Every concept we teach has an African analogy. DNS is explained using a telephone directory. A router is explained using the national post office. An AWS region is explained using MTN network coverage areas. When you explain technology using the world someone already lives in, the understanding goes much deeper. That was the insight that changed everything for us. As for the milestone I am most proud of: it is not a number. It is a moment. When Lilian Shulika Tata — who came to us as a diplomat, someone who had represented nations in international forums — became an Enterprise Architect and is now AI Governance Consultant advising organisations on responsible AI deployment, I realised we were not just teaching cloud. We were changing trajectories. That is the milestone. The fact that it keeps happening, student after student, is what makes me come back to this work every single day.

How does having an AWS Community Builder for 6 consecutive years reflect on the academy’s training quality, and what impact does it have on students’ job market credibility?

The AWS Community Builder programme is not something you purchase. It is not a marketing badge. It is a peer recognition from Amazon Web Services itself — awarded to individuals who consistently contribute valuable content, teaching, and community engagement around AWS technologies. It is renewed annually, which means it has to be earned again every year. Being renewed for six consecutive years, running in parallel with WirfonCloud Academy, tells you something specific: the content and teaching we produce is consistently recognised as genuinely valuable by the very company whose certifications our students are pursuing. For students, this matters in two ways. First, it means their instructor is not teaching from a textbook. I am active in the global AWS community — I know what is being discussed, what skills are in demand, what employers are actually looking for. That current, real-world perspective goes directly into the curriculum. Second, it gives students a credibility signal they can point to. When a graduate tells a hiring manager “I trained with an instructor who has been an AWS Community Builder for six consecutive years,” that is a verifiable fact. It is not a claim — it is a credential the employer can look up. In a job market where everyone claims to know cloud, the provenance of your training matters.

Your mission emphasizes serving “African learners globally.” How has WirfonCloud Academy adapted its cloud computing curriculum to address the unique needs and opportunities for African professionals in the global tech market?

“African learners globally” is the key phrase — and I mean it literally. Our students are in Rwanda, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Cameroon, and beyond, but they are also in the UK, Belgium, Canada, and the Netherlands. The diaspora audience is significant, and their needs are different from learners on the continent. For learners on the continent, the adaptation is about context and access. Mobile first is important and that is why academy.wirfoncloud.com will be very valuable for our students – as this is the way they consume content. We use African real-life analogies for every concept because understanding is deeper when it connects to the world you already know. And we teach the IT fundamentals — Linux, Networking, Python — before Cloud, because most African learners do not come through Computer Science degree programmes. They are career changers, career starters, and professionals pivoting into tech. They need the foundation, not just the destination. For the diaspora, the adaptation is about pace and ambition. These are people managing full-time jobs in Europe or North America while studying. They need a course that is self-paced, rigorous, and produces outcomes that are internationally recognised. Kinyuy Tatiana, one of our graduates, is now a Platform Engineer in UK and he started with zero tech background. The same can be said of Boris Mongue who is an Application Manager in German. They built their foundation with us while working. That outcome is what the diaspora audience needs to see — that this is possible, from where they are, around the work they already have. The global opportunity for African professionals in tech is real, but it is not automatic. It requires the right foundation, built in the right order. That is what we teach.

Your tagline emphasizes “Stop rushing into Cloud — Linux, Networking & Python first.” Can you explain the reasoning behind this foundational approach and how it differentiates your academy from other cloud training providers?

Let me give you a number first: 90 percent of cloud server instances run Linux. Every virtual machine you spin up on AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud — the vast majority are running Linux underneath. The containers, the automation scripts, the infrastructure pipelines — all of it sits on Linux. Now ask yourself: how many cloud training programmes start with Linux? They start with the console, the dashboards, the certification questions. They teach you to click buttons without explaining what is underneath the buttons. We take the opposite approach. Linux first. Then Networking — because you cannot understand cloud architecture without understanding how data actually moves. Then Python — because automation is the engine of modern cloud operations. Only then do we move into Cloud, because by that point, Cloud is not mysterious. It is familiar. Every concept connects to something the student already understands. Think of it like building a house. You cannot put the roof on before the walls — not because of a rule, but because physics will not allow it. The walls need the foundation. The roof needs the walls. Cloud is the roof. Linux, Networking, and Python are the foundation and the walls. Every student who has tried to put the roof on first has eventually had to come back and build the foundation properly. What differentiates us from other cloud training providers is that we are selling the road, not the destination. Everyone else sells the destination — Cloud, AI, certifications. We sell the road that actually gets you there sustainably. That is a different thing, and it attracts a different kind of student: one who wants to actually understand what they are doing, not just pass an exam.

Over 6 years, how many professionals have WirfonCloud Academy trained, and do you have any standout success stories of students who transformed their careers through your programs?

Over six years, WirfonCloud Academy has trained 500+ professionals across Africa and the African diaspora. But numbers tell only part of the story. The stories are what matter. Tatiana Kinyuy started from zero and is now a Platform Engineer — a senior infrastructure role where she designs and maintains the systems that other engineers build on. Not a junior role. Watch her full story: https://youtu.be/4q29nbxbADM . Boris Mougoue had zero technical background — not a career pivot from an adjacent field, but a genuine absolute zero. Today he is an Application Manager at a leading tech company. His story is the answer I give every time someone says “but I have no background in IT at all.” Watch Boris’s story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1xONPqdr0s .Lilian Shulika Tata was a diplomat. She negotiated on behalf of nations in international forums. Today she is an AI Governance Consultant — advising organisations on how to deploy and manage AI responsibly. That is a trajectory that combines her diplomatic experience with a technical foundation she built from scratch. Watch Lilian’s story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9f5-DWNJpSM. Cham Zekebweliwai is a Senior AWS Infrastructure Engineer at Cancer Research UK in the UK, earning twice the average salary in his field. He started as a self-described technovice. Watch Cham’s story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oqp5nzNQDSQ. Emmanuel earned three certifications in exactly the right order: Linux Essentials, then AWS Cloud Practitioner, then AWS Solutions Architect Associate. That sequence is Foundation First in action — and he has the paper to prove each step. Watch Emmanuel’s story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOcT-db-miI. Pride Achu went from technovice to full-time Cloud Architect. The practical project work — including site-to-site VPN projects he built at WirfonCloud — gave him the portfolio that a classroom certificate alone cannot provide. Watch Pride’s story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jK2y3YjaCQg . Shuufay Kibeey became a full-time Cloud Engineer in two years. Not six months — he would tell you himself that anyone promising six months is not being honest with you. Two years of consistent, smart effort with the right foundation. Watch Shey’s story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YO-hbi6O2uo. Every one of these stories is publicly documented on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@wirfoncloud — because we believe African success in tech should be visible, not hidden.

As you celebrate this 6th anniversary, what are your ambitious goals for WirfonCloud Academy over the next 3–5 years? Are there new certifications, technologies, or geographic markets you’re planning to expand into?

The immediate priority is completing the IT Fundamentals Series. We have Linux Fundamentals coming soon on academy.wirfoncloud.com. Networking Fundamentals and Python for Cloud Automation are in development. When all three are complete, students will have a structured, certified path from absolute beginner to cloud-ready professional — all built by WirfonCloud, all taught with African context. Beyond the courses, the next major expansion is corporate training. Individual learners are our foundation, but the real scale comes when organisations — telecoms companies, financial institutions, government ICT departments — recognise that their technical teams need this foundation too. We are already in early conversations with a number of African employers on this. Corporate teams that skip the Linux and Networking foundation consistently struggle with cloud migrations and infrastructure projects. We solve that problem at scale. On geography: we are deliberately building presence in Rwanda. Over the next three to five years, I want WirfonCloud to be the first name that communities across Africa recommend when someone asks “where do I start in IT?” — not because we advertised our way there, but because our students and alumni carry that answer with them wherever they go. The longer horizon is AI. Not the hype — the foundation underneath it. AI runs on Linux servers. It is automated with Python. It communicates over networks. When the dust settles on the current AI excitement and organisations realise they need engineers who understand the infrastructure AI runs on, Foundation First will be exactly what the market needs. We are positioning for that now.

For tech and non-tech professionals in Nso land, Cameroon, Africa and beyond who are considering cloud computing as a career path, what’s your most important advice for someone starting from zero, as your content suggests?

Nso land holds a special place for me personally because Nso is my roots. The first piece of advice is this: stop trying to start with the most exciting thing. Cloud, AI, cybersecurity — these are all real, all valuable, all worth pursuing. But they are the roof. And you cannot put the roof on before the walls. Start with Linux. Not because it is glamorous — it is not. Not because it is easy — it is not always easy. But because 90% of the servers running the world’s cloud infrastructure are Linux servers, and if you do not understand Linux, you will always be managing cloud from the outside. You will click buttons without knowing what is underneath them. That gap shows up in interviews, in projects, and eventually in your career ceiling. After Linux, learn Networking — how data actually moves between systems, what an IP address really is, how routing works. Then Python, because automation is the skill that separates cloud engineers who manage things manually from the ones who build systems that manage themselves. Only then should you go into Cloud. And when you do, Cloud will make sense in a way it never would have if you had started there. The second piece of advice: the timeline is honest, not short. Shufaay Kibeey in US, one of our graduates, became a full-time Cloud Engineer in two years. He would tell you himself that anyone promising it in three months is selling you something. Two years of consistent, deliberate effort with the right foundation — that is the honest answer. And two years from now exists whether you start today or not. The third piece of advice — and this one is for Nso, for Cameroon, for every corner of Africa where people are watching the tech industry from a distance and wondering if it is for them: it is for you. It has always been for you. The world just did not explain it in a way that connected to where you are. That is what we are here to change. Start where you are. Build the foundation. The rest follows. Visit us at academy.wirfoncloud.com and in a months time our updated website will be available at www.wirfoncloud.com — and watch what our graduates have built at https://www.youtube.com/@wirfoncloud

SAGO 2026: Cameroon Stands To Gain Enormously From Mining Restructuring – Minister Fuh Calistus

By Etienne Mainimo Mengnjo

Cameroon stands to gain significantly from a sweeping restructuring of its mining sector, the interim Minister of Mines, Industry and Technological Development (MINMIDT), Prof. Fuh Calistus Gentry said, as the government moves to boost national reserves, crack down on illegal operations, and formalize artisanal production.

**Minister Fuh Calistus speaking during the conference** *(Photo: MINMIDT)*

Prof. Fuh Calistus made the remarks June 9 in Yaoundé during a conference presentation tied to the implementation of his ministry’s actions under the theme of Government Action Fair (SAGO) 2026: “Public–Private Sector Partnership: A driving force for an Emerging Cameroon.”

During the conference, Prof. Fuh Calistus outlined achievements in the mining sector along with initiatives in industry and technology. He said the fallout from restructuring would be enormous, particularly in revenue collection. Since the government began formal gold collection, about 1.5 tonnes have been gathered, but with restructuring fully implemented, the Minister stated that the target is nearly 2 tonnes annually for national reserves.

“Our target is that Cameroon should be able to collect close to 2 tonnes in national reserves every year, if restructuring is given a free hand without any influences to operate,” Prof. Fuh Calistus said. He added that export taxes are collected at the source, and with proper declarations, the state would capture all export duties, with gold transporters carrying proof of tax payment regardless of their exit point.

**Minister Fuh Calistus leading the panel discussion during the conference** *(Photo: MINMIDT)*

Minister Fuh Calistus said restructuring would transform mining into a greenfield activity conducted in closed systems, ending the practice of children bathing in mud. He said Cameroon cannot remain stuck with centuries-old traditions that have failed to develop the country.

As part of the restructuring, Minister Fuh Calistus stated that more than 100 companies face prosecution in the East and Adamawa regions. He said what is seen in Dubai compared with Cameroon reflects a simple fact: declared amounts do not match actual production. To him, restructuring addresses technical, environmental and technological issues to correct the imbalance between what is declared and what is produced.

“We believe that other administrations, like the customs services, all other administrations have to join,” Prof. Fuh Calistus said. “It’s no more a problem for the Ministry of Mines, it’s a problem for the nation.”

**Minister Fuh Calistus speaking to the press after the conference** *(Photo: MINMIDT)*

On illegal mining, the Minister said after discovering more than 200 illegal semi-mechanized artisanal sites in the East and Adamawa regions, authorities withdrew 39 companies for failing to meet legal, fiscal, technical and technological obligations. Another 57 companies have received authorizations for semi-mechanized artisanal exploitation. He called for collaboration across all sectors to combat mining that is destroying the country.

Looking back at 2025, Prof. Fuh Calistus said under President Paul Biya’s leadership, Cameroon has become a mining nation with production starting in five major projects: the Bipindi–Grand Zambi and Kribi-Lobé iron ore projects, the Minim-Martap industrial bauxite project, the Bidzar industrial marble project, and the Colomine gold project.

For 2026, the Ministry is prioritizing monitoring of projects entering production, including the Mbalam, Nkout and Ngovayang iron ore projects and the Mborguéné and Bibemi gold projects. Together, these developments structure Cameroon’s mining industry around four value chains: iron, bauxite, limestone and gold.

Recent initiatives to sanitize the semi-mechanized artisanal gold sector include payment of a refundable environmental restoration bond of FCFA 63 million, a 25% simplified mining tax and a 5% export duty. Legal measures require Cameroonian nationals to hold a majority stake in companies holding semi-mechanized artisanal mining authorizations.

**Officials during the conference** (Photo: MINMIDT)

Technical measures include a minimum production threshold of five kilograms of gold per month per site equipped with 10 processing units, and a move after six months to a closed-circuit mineralized gravel processing system. With that threshold, projected annual output stands at 1,320 kilograms of gold, with an expected minimum collection of 380 kilograms by the National Mining Company.

The benefits are considerable. If 100 illegal mining sites are regularized, projected revenues would reach FCFA 8.64 billion. If 200 sites comply, revenues could hit FCFA 17.28 billion.

On the industrial front, Prof. Fuh Calistus said the Ministry has established integrated value chains to strengthen the import-substitution policy. Achievements include value chains for turning clay and feldspar into ceramic tiles, bauxite into alumina and aluminum, limestone into clinker and cement, iron ore into iron billets, timber processing supported by special industrial zones in Edéa and Bertoua, and the textile industry through the ongoing restructuring of CICAM.

Preparations for a cotton-processing industrial park in Garoua are advanced and expected to generate more than 10,000 jobs by 2028. The agro-industrial sector is expanding through local processing of cocoa, sugar, flour and pasta, alongside progress on the Ouassa-Babouté Agro-Industrial Technopole project. Domestic energy subsector development includes local manufacturing of gas cylinders to strengthen household energy security.

**Minister and officials posed for a family picture** (Photo: MINMIDT)

In technological development, he stated that the Ministry has launched initiatives to strengthen the national innovation ecosystem, including support to universities and specialized institutions with laboratory equipment and the establishment of Technology and Innovation Support Centers.

The Ministry also revived the National Technology Days, offering Cameroonian youth access to an innovation financing facility established by the African Intellectual Property Organization and its partner, the African Guarantee Fund.

At SAGO 2026: CAMTEL GM, Judith Yah Sunday Says Zamengoé Data Center Redefines State Control Over Public Data

By Etienne Mainimo Mengnjo

The Zamengoé data center is more than a repository of servers and cooling systems. To Judith Yah Sunday épse Achidi, General Manager of state-owned Cameroon Telecommunications (CAMTEL), it is a declaration of digital independence.

**Judith Yah Sunday épse Achidi, General Manager of CAMTEL, speaking during the conference** (Photo: Mainimo Etienne)

Cameroon’s top telecommunications executive described the facility June 9 as a purpose-built government asset designed to anchor the nation’s sovereign digital environment. Speaking at the Government Action Fair (SAGO) 2026, the General Manager framed data protection as inseparable from national security.

“Today, data is no longer just a simple computer file. They have become a heritage,” Yah Sunday told attendees in Yaoundé. “Data is an identity, an administrative memory, a tool for decision-making and a national security issue.”

The fair’s theme — “Public–Private Sector Partnership: A driving force for an Emerging Cameroon” — drew policymakers and industry figures. CAMTEL stood as the major sponsor, but Yah Sunday used her platform to deliver a pointed message about technological self-reliance.

Her presentation, themed “Protection of public data and digital sovereignty. Zamengoé data centre at the service of government action and the emergence of Cameroon,” laid out a history of vulnerability.

**Panelists, led by Judith Yah Sunday épse Achidi, General Manager of CAMTEL, during the conference** *(Photo: Mainimo Etienne)*

For years, she said, significant portions of sensitive data involving citizens, businesses and the government were stored on foreign-hosted servers. That exposure invited risks: data breaches, unauthorized access by foreign governments and heightened susceptibility to cyberattacks.

The Zamengoé center, certified Tier 3, offers an alternative. Designed with redundant power sources, advanced cooling, physical security perimeters and sophisticated cybersecurity defenses, the infrastructure stores Cameroonian data locally, manages it under Cameroonian jurisdiction and shields it from outside interference.

“Digital sovereignty is not a slogan,” Yah Sunday said. “It is being built progressively through infrastructure, skills, networks, technological choices and national political will.”

She called the center one of the most robust digital infrastructures in the subregion, noting its connections to major domestic and international networks. More than a technical upgrade, she argued, it aligns with President Paul Biya’s development vision: giving Cameroon reliable capacity to house, secure and control sensitive and critical data.

**Cross section of officials during the conference** (Photo: Mainimo Etienne)

Answering audience questions, Yah Sunday alongside other CAMTEL Officials emphasized that sovereignty also means controlling the underlying technology. Physical and logical security standards at Zamengoé, she said, ensure continuity of critical digital services — government, financial or telecommunications — even during external crises or failures affecting foreign infrastructure.

“The Zamengoé data center embodies Cameroon’s concrete response to its historical dependence on foreign-hosted servers,” she said. “Data control, physical and logical security, and service continuity: this infrastructure is redefining the landscape for the Cameroonian state by strengthening digital sovereignty and ensuring the protection of critical national data.”

For Yah Sunday, the facility is not an endpoint but a foundation. Modernization of the state, she said, must rest on solid ground — and that ground is now in Yaoundé.

Blue Podium, Blue Pride: CAMTEL Puts Its Stamp On Cameroon’s Cycling Tour

By Etienne Mainimo Mengnjo

The road unspools like a blue ribbon across the nation’s spine, from the sahel scrub of the north to the humid sprawl of Yaoundé. For 10 days, the whir of carbon-fiber wheels and the crackle of race radios will echo through cities and villages alike. But at every stage, another color stakes its claim: blue.

CAMTEL, Cameroon’s incumbent telecommunications provider, has cemented its role as the official sponsor of the 2026 International Cycling Tour of Cameroon, the country’s most prestigious cycling competition.

The race, which kicked off June 3, is more than a test of athletic endurance. It is also a rolling symbol of how corporate sponsorship can connect communities, reward local talent and broadcast a national story of resilience.

The company’s blue brand is everywhere. It drapes the victory podium. It adorns the coveted Blue Jersey, awarded to top performers. And at the opening ceremony June 2 in Maroua, it framed a message that went beyond marketing.

“This partnership reflects CAMTEL’s mission to support Cameroonian excellence across all sectors,” a company representative said. “Through the Blue brand, we’re not just sponsoring a race — we’re celebrating the speed, determination and resilience that define both cycling and Cameroon’s development.”

The 2026 Tour du Cameroun, a Class 2.2 event on the UCI Africa Tour, spans 1,049.3 kilometers over 10 stages, concluding June 14. Riders will carve through Maroua, Garoua, Bangangté, Bafoussam, Douala and the capital, Yaoundé.

For CAMTEL, which has held a decades-long partnership with the Cameroon Cycling Federation, the race is a natural extension of a broader sports strategy. The company previously sponsored the 25th edition of the Chantal Biya International Cycling Grand Prix and the 2024 Tour Cycliste International du Cameroun.

But this year, the telecommunications operator has placed special emphasis on the Blue Jersey. In recent editions, cyclists such as Kamzong Abossolo have won the prize, with CAMTEL formally recognizing their achievements. The company also awards 100,000 FCFA (about $165) to stage winners — a meaningful financial incentive in a sport where sponsorship can be scarce.

CAMTEL’s commitment goes beyond cycling. The operator has worked with FECAFOOT, Cameroon’s football federation, and has sought to bolster the country’s business sector through digital technology. Yet the Cameroon Cycling Tour holds unique power, officials say, because it unites a geographically diverse nation and showcases its landscapes.

As the race continues through June 14, the blue brand remains visible at every stage: victory ceremonies, media coverage, roadside banners. For young Cameroonians watching from the roadside, the sight of local riders like Abossolo standing atop a blue podium sends a quiet but persistent message.

The road is long. The hills are steep. But with CAMTEL’s backing, the 2026 tour is not just a race. It is a declaration that national unity and athletic ambition can ride together — one kilometer at a time.

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