Placed under the Distinguished Patronage of the President of the Republic, The Minister of Posts and Telecommunications, Mrs. Libom Li Likeng Minette, on the 18th of March 2022, presided over the official ceremony to award prizes to the winners of the National Competition for the Best ICT Project, organised as part of the 3rd edition of the ICT Innovation Week that held from the 14-18 March 2022, at the Cameroon Digital Innovation Centre in Bastos-Yaounde.

The event which was staged under the theme: "Cybersecurity and Digital Innovation: What Challenges for Cameroonian Youth?", saw 15 ICT projects being rewarded for outstanding initiatives and above all for daring as prescribed by the Head of State on 15 September 2011, at the 3rd Ordinary Congress of the CPDM. In addition to this award was the Special Prize of the President of the Republic to the Best ICT Project of the year 2021, won by MEYE BA NTYAM Serge Stephane with the project titled ANTIVIRUS MEYE Protect.

In addressing the audience, the Minister stated that this event is in keeping with the desire to reinforce the actions taken by the Government to promote a conducive environment for the creation and development of viable businesses in the digital sector, and to extend them to all Cameroonian youth residing within the National Territory. In concrete terms, she added, "these initiatives are intended to develop a favourable ecosystem for the detection of talents and the support of innovation among young ICT entrepreneurs, with the aim of creating a real digital economy through the creation of digital companies.

Talking about efforts made by the government to boost and encourage digital innovation amongst youths, other than the initiative of the digial innovation week, we add to the list the current institutional support programme for the start-up community of the Buea Silicon Mountain, through the connection to the optical fibre and the provision of a free high-speed internet connection for a period of one year, the creation of the Digital Economy Development Centre, the Cameroon Digital Innovation Centre, whose mission is to detect and support ICT project holders from the idea to the viable business not leaving out President Paul Biya's formal association of his Highest Office with the ICT Innovation Week, notably by awarding a Special Prize to the best innovator of the year, as well as rewards to the winners, in order to mark the keen interest, he places in young people - in this field, as in others - and to bestow them with a certain prestige.

In the same vein, the representative of the International Telecommunications Union for Central Africa and Madagascar, Mr. Jean-Jacques Massima, reminded the young laureates that their journey has just begun and the stakes are high. They have just won a dispute, the war is ongoing.

However, this years celebration was marked exceptional as the Minister opted to galvanise and commend the efforts of all 15 pre-selected out of the close to 300 that got registered with a package of 72.5 million frs CFA for innovating, creating and most important for daring. Other gifts comprised of computer equipment, high speed internet connections and training in areas related to the development of their activities.

To accompany the Minister in this great digital feast were the Minister of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, Social Economy and Handicraft, Women Empowerment and the Family, Representatives of Government Officials, a host of officials of public and private sector, cybersecurity ambassadors srartup entrepreneurs.

Spots bearing cybersecurity messages and the presentation of the cybersecurity Anthem entitled "stop cybercrimes", graced the occasion.