Douala III: Youths Ready For Job Market

T he Douala III Council has intensified efforts to pre­ pare young people for the job market, via a profes­ sional integration session organised on Monday, August 17, 2026. The session, which marked the of­ ficial closing of the council’s annual holiday internship programme, brought together about 400 stu­ dent representatives from a broader cohort of 1,000 interns. It provided an opportunity for the Mayor of Douala III council, Valentin Epoupa Bossambo, to interact directly with the young beneficiaries and share practical advice on building suc­ cessful careers. Addressing the participants, Mayor Valentin Epoupa Bossambo led a session he described as one of “civic and entrepreneurial moral rearmament”. He urged the youths to prepare themselves not only to seek employment but to also create jobs through entrepreneurship. The initiative is part of the council’s strategy to facilitate the transition of young people from school to professional life, at a time when unemployment and underemploy­ ment among graduates remain ma­ jor challenges in Cameroon. Citing data from the National Insti­ tute of Statistics, the Mayor noted the difficulties faced by university graduates in accessing suitable em­ ployment, highlighting the persis­ tent gap between academic training and labour market requirements. To address the challenge, Mayor Epoupa Bossambo announced plans to establish a municipal database for former holiday interns. From next year, he said, efforts would be ma...