CITS 2026: Turning Cameroon’s Digital Potential into Opportunities for Youth and Development

The second edition of the Cameroon International Tech Summit concluded with a clear message: technology alone will not define Cameroon’s digital future. Its impact will depend on whether the country can translate talent, ideas and innovation into jobs, competitive enterprises and solutions to development challenges. Organized by Mountain Hub, with UNDP Cameroon as the official partner, CITS 2026 brought together government representatives, entrepreneurs, investors, researchers, development partners and other actors from the innovation ecosystem. Under the theme “The Bold Agenda: Accelerating Sustainable Development through Youth, Technology, Innovation, Entrepreneurship, Talent Development and Outsourcing”, the summit created space for dialogue, learning, business connections and new partnerships.

October 20, 2026

A national journey of talent and innovation

CITS 2026 was the culmination of a nationwide effort. Through a roadshow covering Cameroon’s ten regions, 1,008 young innovators were trained. From this group, 50 teams representing 150 founders were selected to participate in the National Innovation Bootcamp and summit activities in Yaoundé.

This national approach helped identify emerging talent beyond established innovation centres, while connecting young entrepreneurs with mentors, institutions, investors and potential partners.

Panel of five people seated at a conference stage with banners and sponsor logos. — CITS 2026: Bringing together innovators, policymakers and partners to shape Cameroon’s digital future.

@UNDPCameroon

Opening the summit, H.E. Minette Libom Li Likeng, Minister of Posts and Telecommunications, emphasized the need for Cameroon and Africa to participate more fully in the global digital economy, not only as consumers of technology but as centres of design, production, innovation and value creation.

Photo: woman in a red headwrap speaks at a podium on stage; panelists sit beside a large screen. — H.E. Minette Libom Li Likeng, Minister of Posts and Telecommunications,

@UNDPCameroon

For UNDP Cameroon, this ambition is inseparable from the wider development agenda. Digital transformation must help create employment, strengthen inclusion, improve services and equip people and institutions to address complex development challenges.

In his keynote address, Martin Hart-Hansen, UNDP Cameroon Deputy Resident Representative, emphasized this connection:

“Technology is not the destination. It is the vehicle through which digital innovation can drive sustainable development, prosperity and inclusion. To reach that future, we must empower young people, because they are not merely participants in that future; they are its builders.”

Martin Hart-Hansen, UNDP Cameroon Deputy Resident Representative

@UNDPCameroon

From ideas to practical opportunities

Throughout the summit, participants engaged in activities covering youth employability, startup development, outsourcing, sustainability, climate innovation, financial technology, digital government and emerging technologies. The National Innovation Bootcamp, Ecosystem Roundtable, Career Fair, AI Sandbox, Startup Village and B2B Lounge provided different entry points for innovators to connect with knowledge, networks and business opportunities.

The experiences entrepreneurs participating in the summit demonstrated how stronger ecosystems, partnerships and targeted support can translate promising ideas into tangible development impact.

ASSISTE-MOI, a Cameroonian education-technology startup, is using digital tools to expand access to educational resources. Its founder, Brice Noudja, won the CITS 2026 Lion’s Den Startup World Cup trophy. “This recognition is strengthening our visibility and credibility and opening new opportunities to connect with schools, businesses, parents and potential partners,” he said.

ASSISTE-MOI has received support through UNDP’s Enovation Factory Scale 32 programme. Supported through UNDP's Enovation Factory Scale 32 programme, ASSISTE-MOI expanded from 6,000 to 42,000+ learners, over eight months.

Group of people in a bright green room watching a tech demo around a table with devices. — CITS 2026: Bringing together innovators, policymakers and partners to shape Cameroon’s digital future.

@UNDPCameroon

Another promising initiative is an AI-powered predictive-maintenance solution for passenger vehicles developed by Djoukouo Talotsing Marcela. Recognized as the second national prize winner in the CITS Science-to-Business track, the initiative illustrates how scientific research can be translated into a practical and commercially relevant solution.

The accompanying six-month incubation support from Mountain Hub is expected to help the initiative refine its technology, develop its mobile platform and prepare for pilot deployment.

Group of people in blue shirts gathers around papers at a community event. — CITS 2026: Bringing together innovators, policymakers and partners to shape Cameroon’s digital future.

@UNDPCameroon

Building an ecosystem in which innovation can thrive

Individual innovators cannot succeed through talent alone. They also need an enabling ecosystem that connects skills, mentorship, financing, policy support, infrastructure and access to markets.

Through the Policy Forum and Ecosystem Roundtable, co-hosted by UNDP Cameroon and GIZ, founders, investors, innovation hubs, government institutions and development partners explored practical ways to strengthen coordination and create better conditions for entrepreneurship and innovation.

This is where the longer-term value of CITS will be determined. The summit’s impact will not ultimately be measured by the number of sessions held, but by the partnerships sustained, investments mobilized, startups strengthened and opportunities created for young people.

Two camouflaged tracked robots on a table with a person in orange behind them; logos at the bottom. — CITS 2026: Bringing together innovators, policymakers and partners to shape Cameroon’s digital future.

@UNDPCameroon

From summit momentum to development impact

Cameroon has significant entrepreneurial talent and a growing community of institutions committed to innovation-led development. The task now is to connect these assets more deliberately and to ensure that promising solutions can move from ideas to testing, financing, market access and scale.

For UNDP, the next phase should focus on helping sustain the connections created through CITS, strengthening collaboration across the ecosystem and linking innovation more closely to Cameroon’s development priorities.

When young innovators have access to skills, mentorship, financing, networks and opportunity, technology becomes more than a tool. It becomes a pathway to jobs, greater inclusion, stronger enterprises and sustainable development. That is the opportunity CITS 2026 has helped unlock, and the momentum that partners must now sustain.

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