The Support Project for the Socio-Economic Resilience of Vulnerable Youth in Northern Cameroon (Parse IV) is launching its fourth phase with a budget of approximately FCFA 3.5 billion. This funding, equivalent to 5 million euros, is earmarked for training 1,000 young people in the northern regions of Cameroon between 2026 and 2028. The first ordinary session of the steering committee, held on May 8 in Yaoundé, revealed this information.
The project is financed by German cooperation through GIZ, which is contributing FCFA 3.28 billion. The Cameroonian government is providing a counterpart contribution of FCFA 225 million. Parse IV, scheduled to begin on December 1, 2026, will end on December 31, 2028. It will target 12 municipalities in the Adamawa, Far North and North regions.
This new phase of the project will integrate several components, including vocational integration, entrepreneurship promotion, mental health support, social fabric strengthening, and adaptation to the effects of climate change in the targeted municipalities. Stakeholders, including GIZ, the Ministry of Social Affairs, and the Ministry of Youth and Civic Education, stressed the importance of integrating specific quotas for people living with disabilities into planning documents. They also recommended integrating digital entrepreneurship into training programs and using structures legally recognized by the State.
Deployed since 2016 as part of German-Cameroonian cooperation, Parse aims to strengthen the autonomy of young people in areas weakened by the security crisis. Rico Langeheine, Resident Director of GIZ in Cameroon, highlighted the importance of this program for young people in regions affected by Boko Haram violence.
The first three phases of Parse have supported more than 7,500 vulnerable young people through vocational training, the provision of installation kits, and technical and financial support. The previous phases, with budgets of 10 million euros (2016-2019), 5.5 million euros (2020-2022) and 5 million euros (2023-2025), laid the groundwork for this new initiative.
