KSrelief-UNDP Partnership Project: About 338 Million CFA Francs to Assist, Empower IDPs, Youths in Kolofata
The 12-month project was officially launched on January 15, 2026, in Yaounde during a ceremony chaired by the Representative of the Minister of Economy, Planning, and Regional Development. The ceremony brought together many government officials. These included representatives of the Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Cameroon, staff of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and other technical and financial partners of sustainable projects. The project titled “Empowering IDPs and youth through vocational training and livelihoods support in the Far-North Region of Cameroon.” is funded by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) for an amount worth USD 601,528, which is about 338,000,000 Francs CFA. As indicated by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), this project was initiated on 23 September 2025 with a partnership agreement signed between KSrelief and UNDP during the 80th UN General Assembly. The aim of this agreement, signed on September 23, 2025, is to address the protracted humanitarian situation in Cameroon’s Far North. The project targets the town of Kolofata in the Mayo Sava division, an area severely impacted by persistent insecurity, which has led to significant population displacement and socio-economic disruption. The region suffers exceptionally high underemployment-92.7% overall, with 96.5% among women, compared to the national average of 77%. Interventions focus on vocational training aligned with market needs, entrepreneurship support, renewable energy skills, and income‑generation activities. The project also strengthens social cohesion between displaced persons, returnees, and host communities by fostering shared economic opportunities. Mathieu Ciowela, Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme in Cameroon, saluted this new partnership, which comes in for impactful results on the field. UNDP’s Resident Representative said: “By aligning vocational training, livelihoods, and renewable energy skills with local market needs, the project demonstrates how it adopts the Humanitarian‑Development‑Peace (HDP) Nexus approach, combining immediate livelihood recovery with longer-term resilience building.” In his speech, Mr. Omar Alharthi, representing the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Cameroon, saidhumanitarian action is an integral part of the Arab-Saudi identity. It constitutes a civilised approach that reinforces links between people and revives solidarity between all human beings. “Our presence today is part of the continuity and flow of humanitarian action by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which includes the Conference of Donors in 2024 to support displaced and refugee persons in the Sahel and Jaffa regions. Since its creation in 2015, the Centre for Humanitarian Aid of the King Salman has been working and supporting more than 4,000 humanitarian aid projects in 109 countries around the world, including the Republic of Cameroon. The Republic of Cameroon has received special attention from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with 54 projects covering various sectors, such as development, education, humanitarian aid, general, food security, and health care.” He said. On his part, the mayor of Kolofata, Colonel Satomi Boukar, said there are no other beautiful words than thank you. He expressed gratitude for the numerous IDPs and affected populations of Kolofata who will highly welcome this project. Speaking on behalf of the Minister of Economy, Planning and Regional Development, Mr. Smith Enow Arrey, Technical Adviserseized the occasion of this project launch to praise the gesture of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the constant support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). “I would like to express the gratitude of the Cameroonian Government to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the constant support to our efforts in development. I would also like to take this opportunity to express the recognition of the Cameroonian Government to the United Nations Programme for Development, which makes every effort to support our country in achieving its development goals. Its expertise has been of great importance in the optimal implementation of the financing in favour of the Presidential Plan for the Reconstruction of Development of the North-West and South-West Regions of Cameroon. With the Republic of Japan, the Islamic Bank of Development, and, more recently, the support operation to the private sector in Cameroon affected by the COVID-19 pandemic by the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Cameroon.” The spokesperson of the Minister went further to emphasise the positive impacts of this newly launched project that comes in due time with regard to the numerous threats and challenges faced by people, and mostly internally displaced persons(IDPs). He pointed-out the fact that the Mayo-Sava division, just like other divisions of the Far-North region, is facing a serious crisis due to the multiple insecurities with the consequences of the massive displacement of the population, an economic collapse, and social instability. Mr. Enow Arrey said: “This situation mainly affects the sectors of agriculture and fishing, leading to the reduction of animal production and the pressure on local resources due to the influx of displaced people. The Government, in collaboration with the United Nations Programme for Development, has engaged in negotiations with its partners in order to mobilise funding to provide a concrete and structured response to the humanitarian and socio-economic challenges faced by the displaced population. This has led to the implementation of the Autonomisation of International Deployments Project and the support of young people for vocational training in the region of North-Eastern Cameroon. As a result of a strategic partnership between Cameroon, the United Nations Programme for Development, King Salman II, over a period of 12 months, and financed by US$601,528, this project reflects our desire to build more resilient communities capable of overcoming the crisis and to develop this project in the future. The project itself is based on a clear vision, offering vulnerable populations, especially young people and women who have moved in and out of the country, the tools necessary to build their lives in the community.” After the official key address from the representative of the Minister, participants at the ceremony were immersed in the project proper. An in-depth presentation of the project was made by Christophe Charbon, Head of stabilization project in the UNDP office in Cameroon. In his presentation, Christophe Charbon started by unveiling the project goal, which is mainly to
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