The Prime Minister and Head of Government, Chief Dr Joseph Dion Ngute, has enthusiastically endorsed a pioneering collaboration between The ICT University and Brazil’s UFLA University, heralding it as a major step forward for Cameroon’s agricultural modernisation. During an audience at the Star Building in Yaoundé, the Prime Minister told the university’s President and Founder, Professor Victor Mbarika, and the visiting Brazilian delegation that this initiative would significantly boost the sector and create substantial employment. He urged the partners to carefully follow the project’s framework, which aligns with President Paul Biya’s vision for a transformed agricultural economy, and assured them of the government’s full support.
Professor Flavio Henrique Vasconcelos De Medeiros, leading the Brazilian delegation, emphasised that the alliance leverages over a century of agricultural expertise from UFLA to benefit Cameroon and the wider continent. He expressed confidence that the standing of The ICT University within Cameroon would be instrumental in scaling the project’s impact across Africa through training and empowering a new generation of entrepreneurs. The professor noted his profound encouragement upon arriving in Cameroon, citing the palpable zeal among young people as a driving force that could make this cooperation a global exemplar.
For his part, Professor Mbarika of The ICT University detailed the project’s core mission to shift perceptions and practices from traditional farming to a high-tech industry. He explained that the ‘Agricampus-500-ICT-U’ project will utilise artificial intelligence and robotics to make agriculture attractive and viable for the youth, focusing not only on local food security but also on positioning Cameroon as a major agricultural exporter. The ambitious five-year plan has a clear target of employing 10,000 young Cameroonians, directly combating the notion that farming is solely for the older generation.
This innovative project, with a budget of 996 million CFA francs, is designed to train thousands of students in digital agriculture while fostering practical skills in production, processing, and marketing. Its components include a digital agriculture hub integrating advanced technologies, hands-on training on micro-plots, a local processing unit to add value to harvests, and an incubator for rural agro-enterprises. Having already received the endorsement of the Minister of Higher Education, Professor Jacques Fame Ndongo, the initiative is recognised for its potential to address critical national goals surrounding youth employment, professional training, and food sovereignty.
