The University Institute of Technology, IUT of Douala officially launched its academic year at the new Edéa campus on October 6, 2025, in the presence of a host of government and university dignitaries.
This ceremony marks the realization of a strategic partnership between the Ministry of Higher Education and the Ministry of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, Social Economy, and Handicrafts, as part of the implementation of the National Development Strategy 2020-2030, SND30. Presided over by the Minister of State, Minister of Higher Education, Prof. Jacques Fame Ndongo, the ceremony was held at the heart of the National Pilot Business Incubator, an emblematic site of the link between training and entrepreneurship.
Also present were Dr. Achille Bassilekin III, Minister of SMEs, the Minister of Transport Jean Ernest Masséna Ngalle Bibehe, as well as several administrative, traditional, and university authorities. Prof. Jacques Etame, director of the IUT, delivered the inaugural lecture on the theme: “Project-based pedagogy, a strategic lever for youth employability.” He presented the Douala IUT-Edéa campus as an innovative school, focused on value creation and self-employment.
For him, this establishment reflects the desire to bring university training closer to economic realities. In his speech, Minister Achille Bassilekin III praised the structuring impact of this initiative on the local entrepreneurial fabric, stating that this new academic hub will help stimulate innovation and the competitiveness of SMEs in Cameroon. Minister Jacques Fame Ndongo, for his part, encouraged the first enrolled students to invest themselves fully. “You are builders, pathfinders, bearers of light,” he declared, before inviting the youth to make the Edéa IUT a hub of excellence and transformation.
One of the highlights of the ceremony was the signing of a partnership agreement between Higher education ministry, the Small and medium size enterprises ministry and the University of Douala. This agreement aims to establish a University-Business dynamic through alternating internships and integrated entrepreneurial support. This is a decisive step towards a better alignment between academic training and the needs of the job market.
By Paul Marcel MBEMBE
