The President of the Republic's declaration on 15 September 2011 at the 3rd Ordinary Congress of the CPDM, could be termed the drive behind the ingenuity of the participants of the 3rd edition of the ICT Innovation week 2021 organised under the theme: "Cybersecurity and Digital Innovation: What Challenges for Cameroonian Youth?, (I quote): “Information and communication technologies are opening new avenues for youths to express themselves and unlock their potential. As you can see, there is a wealth of employment opportunities for youths, on condition that they contemplate life with determination, humility and probity, endurance and abnegation, intelligence and observation to be able to take advantage of the changes that are happening in the world. It is not by waiting, or hoping that the State will provide everything, that they will find a solution. So I urge them to: INNOVATE, CREATE and, above all, DARE! ” (end of quote).

Young Cameroonians in the digital domain this year did not hesitate to pick up the challenge once again this year to bring their little contribution to the rapid digital transformation struggle of Cameroon.

This interest and effort of course did not go unrewarded as the Government through the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications galvanised and rewarded young digital startup entrepreneurs by assembling a package worth Seventy-two million, Five Hundred Thousand frs CFA (72.5 million) to award Prizes to the 15 winners of the National Competition for the 2021 Best ICT Projects, organised as part of the 3rd edition of the ICT Innovation week.

Aside the financial support ranging between Five Hundred Thousand frs CFA (500,000) to Ten Million frs CFA (10,000,000) other prizes awarded to the winners mainly concerned computer equipment, high-speed Internet connections and training in areas related to the development of their activities.

These prizes were grouped in two main categories; the three (3) Grand Prizes awarded to the first 3 best projects in which the Special Prize Awarded by the President of the Republic to the best 2021 ICT Project is inclusive and the award to all the winners of the competition for the best ICT project for having been outstanding amongst the close to 300 candidates who registered for the competition.