Green Jobs Promotion Contest: Youths Curate Sustainable Solutions

T he second edition of the Green Jobs week drew its curtains yesterday October 20, 2026 in Yaounde with Bito Nwaha Devid lifting the maiden trophy in the National Green Jobs Promotion Contest (PPEVC) organized by Ministry of Em­ ployment and Vocational Training (MI­ NEFOP). The recent Engineering gra­ duate from the National Higher School of Engineering in Maroua and his team presented an initiative that focuses on repurposing cassava peels to create a biomaterial specifically for the pro­ duction of pharmaceutical capsules as well as other bio-friendly consu­ mables. Having worked on transfor­ ming cassava peels into biodegradable films over the last three years, Bito David explained that the cash price of FCFA 500,000 will help him scale up his production, while tackling bot­ tlenecks such as funding, access to raw materials, and market penetra­ tion. Bito was closely followed by Forgwei Wango’s Ecovert project that explores plantain waste and fibre to produce eco-friendly packaging bags and ac­ cessories. According to him, the FCFA 450,000 prize money bagged from the contest will support his drive to reduce deforestation and pollution through the production of eco-friendly accessories. He explained that this innovation replaces plastic-like mate­ rials used for plant nurseries and bio­ plastic packaging for bakeries and other uses. To him, his innovation urges users to move from plastic and wood-based packaging to eco-friendly accessories. Aligned with Cameroon's efforts to promote smart and eco-friendly construction using locally produced materials, Deborah Ornie Fabiola’s Eco smart BTP houses project etched its name in third place, bagging a sum of FCFA 400,000. The project proposes environmentally friendly strategies to build eco-friendly houses using lo­ cally produced materials and bricks moulded from...