(Business in Cameroon) – Students at the Faculty of Education, University of Yaounde I, have been encouraged to view entrepreneurship as a path to self-reliance and national development. The call came during a recent conference led by François Désiré Ekouma Ananga, Chief Executive Officer, CEO of François Santé, producer of a medicinal balm and other products.
Held under the theme “The Genesis of Strategic Management and Executive Leadership of a Flourishing Cameroonian Enterprise”, the session was chaired by the Dean of the Faculty of Education, Prof Bienvenue Cyrille Bela, and moderated by Dr. Owona Awoumou Charles Uriel. The initiative formed part of a broader effort to align higher education with Cameroon’s 2023 policy shift that prioritises innovation, employability, and entrepreneurship.
According to faculty leadership, the new orientation seeks to replace the long-standing expectation of state employment with a mindset of enterprise creation. The slogan “One student, one job” has evolved into “One student, one business,” reflecting the government’s ambition to boost local production capacity and reduce youth unemployment, which remains among the highest in Central Africa.
Data from the National Institute of Statistics show that over 70% of young Cameroonians entering the labour market each year are unable to find formal employment, a gap which policymakers hope to narrow through entrepreneurship-focused education. University officials said similar conferences would continue across faculties throughout the academic year to equip students with practical business exposure.
In his address to the sudents, Ekouma Ananga detailed his company’s evolution from an initial investment of 40,000 FCFA in 2021 to an enterprise now generating over 300 million FCFA in annual turnover and employing some 25,000 people directly and indirectly. He revealed François Santé’s operations have since expanded to several African countries and parts of Europe and Asia. He encouraged students to rely on creativity, endurance, and hard work, stressing that the country’s economic future depends on youth-led innovation.
University officials said the institution aims to make such encounters a model for bridging theory and practice, fostering an entrepreneurial culture that could help reposition Cameroon’s youth as active contributors to national productivity. The government’s National Development Strategy 2020-2030 (NDS 30) and the 25 July 2023 Higher Education Orientation Law, both emphasise professionalization, innovation and job creation through entrepreneurship.
Mercy Fosoh
