Despite the government’s efforts, more than half of Cameroon’s population lives on less than 1 euro a day. Therefore, the need to strengthen people’s skills, especially through education and access to quality employment, is a major concern. In the country, it is estimated that only 49% on average pass their exams and the unemployment rate for graduates is around 30% (Unicef). Partly for these reasons, large numbers of young people migrate in search of better quality education, which is an expensive investment for the few who can access it and inaccessible to the majority of families.

In 2021, Harambee formed a partnership with CEPS – Centre de Promotion Sociale, a Cameroonian association that has been promoting educational initiatives in Cameroon since 1989, through the construction of training centres for young people, development projects and awareness-raising activities, spreading the values, qualities and future possibilities of the African continent. In particular, Harambee would like to contribute to the creation of the Lobéké Education Centre.

“With the Lobéké Education Centre, we wish to offer quality training to stimulate the professional integration of young people in Douala, one of the most urbanised and populated cities in Cameroon; with the aim of extending our model to other key cities in the country,” explains Pedro Gill, Project Manager. “It will be a learning platform that will complement the current education system. The Centre will offer a diverse portfolio of learning approaches, combining in one place a leisure and entertainment complex, a centre of excellence equipped with multimedia resources and an incubator to facilitate professional insertion and self-employment.”

What makes the project interesting is its integrated character, i.e. the possibility for young people to have a range of different resources in one place and at an affordable cost. “From this point of view, our future centre will undoubtedly represent an unprecedented contribution to youth education in the city of Douala“.

The activities promoted by Lobéké are open to everyone, to people of all social and cultural backgrounds, and contribute to the complete formation of the human person. In order to offer more varied activities to as many people as possible, it is necessary to provide the Centre with an infrastructure that will enable it to contribute more effectively to the education and training of young people.

“We want to put the human being at the centre of all economic, social and cultural development and provide appropriate and sustainable solutions adapted to the needs of modern society,” Gill concludes.

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