Youths now more and more participate in political parties and many have got to elective decision-making positions.

Hon. Nforme John Tata one of the first Cameroon National Union (CNU) Members of Parliament for Bui Division in the North West Region and who later served his last term in the National Assembly from 1992 to 1997 on the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM) ticket, once told students in Oku that he went to the National Assembly in 1963 at the age of 23 years.

This is an indication that he joined politics in the British Southern Cameroon’s by militating in the Kamerun National Democratic Party (KNDP) of John Ngu Foncha before independence at less than 20 years.

With the reintroduction of multiparty politics in Cameroon in 1990, youths through euphoria became active supporters of many political parties, some committed to the point of wanting to take over from the elders immediately. Almost all the political parties in Cameroon now have the youth wing that is not only a nursery for future party and national leaders but more importantly an indispensable component of the parties.

The National President of Cameroon’s second main opposition political party, National Union for Democracy and Progress (NUDP), Bello Bouba Maigari during the ceremony to exchange New Year wishes with party supporters and officials in Yaounde on February 3, 2018 rejoiced at the fact that many youths have been elected into mainstream decision-making positions in the party.

He went further to encourage them to prepare seriously for upcoming municipal, legislative, senatorial and regional council elections, stating that he would implement recommendations intended to promote the youths.

A scrutiny of Cameroon’s political chest board indicates youths who have made remarkable strides in the National Assembly and Senate, especially forming the provisional bureau that usually runs the affairs of the two Houses of Parliament during the March ordinary session pending the election of the permanent bureau.

Youths are becoming more and more vibrant municipal councillors, elected into the council executives as mayors and deputy mayors. In the ensuing focus, Cameroon Tribune presents the portraits of some youths who have distinguished themselves in the various aspects of the political life of Cameroon.

Emphasis is on what attracted them to politics, their contribution, ambitions, difficulties encountered and messages to youths who still hesitate joining politics. There is also an analysis of the level of their commitment.