Faced with the COVID19 crisis, the PEA-Jeunes gave priority to protecting and strengthening the resilience of young agro-pastoral entrepreneurs.

In January 2020, the PEA-Jeunes adopted an Annual Work Plan and Budget validated by its steering committee. As activities began to be implemented with the leitmotiv, the scaling up of the results obtained in 2019, the COVID19 pandemic occured

In response to this crisis in Cameroon, the Government has taken measures to minimize the negative impacts by supporting,amongst other things, entrepreneurial operations. In line with these measures and in order to make young agro pastoral entrepreneurs particularly resilient, the PEA-Jeunes, has adapted by restructuring. Like the urgency and the vulnerability of young agro-pastoral entrepreneurs, flexibility and speed were at the heart of the action.

As soon as the Government announced, on March 17, 2020,of the thirteen(13) barrier measures to prevent the spread of the Corona virus, the program developed a response action plan against COVID-19 in line with the overall strategy of the Government in general and that of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MINADER) and the Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Animal Industries (MINEPIA).

This action plan, amounting to more than sixty six million (66 000 000) FCFA for a period of three months, enabled the purchase and allocation of hygiene and sanitation kits, equipment and individual protection to more than three thousand (3000) young agro-pastoral entrepreneurs settled in the program intervention regions.

Beyon its effects on health, it is established that COVID 19 has serious consequences on the livelihoods of young agro-pastoral  entrepreneurs. Because, the crisis has upset the agricultural and food systems worldwide, thereby aggravating the vulnerability  of young people in general and young agropastoral entrepreneurs in particular.

Once again, the PEA-Jeunes has reoriented its priorities. On the basis of a socio economic survey, the program has developped an additional action plan aimed at revitalizing youth businesses. To date, 2 444 companies have settled in PEA-Jeunes production areas. The survey revealed that the survival of these very small businesses could be compromised by the difficulty of access to entrants, markets, as well as the limitation of travel which drastically reduced potential consumers thus inducing fall in prices on the market. Consequently, the complementary response plan aims to provide a series of coherent support to these young agropastoral entrepreneurs.

In this magazine, we present the activities carried out for our young people despite the context of COVID-19. We also make you discover these young people who stand out and who are success stories. Some have been able to seize the niche of opportunities created by the crisis. Good reading.

Alfred Bela Tomo

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