LocationsEmpowering the Next Generation of youth Through Tech and Entrepreneurship
October 15, 2025
Young participants during a hands-on robotic session at the Holiday Tech Camp in Buea, part of UNDP-supported digital skills training
“In today’s fast-paced digital world, tech skills aren’t just tools, they’re launchpads to opportunity. And in the conflict affected towns of Buea and Bamenda, in the South-West and North-West regions of Cameroon, over 500 young people are grabbing that opportunity with both hands’’ says Nzometiah Nervis Tetsop, a 27-year-old Technology Innovator and passionate social entrepreneur.
Thanks to a UNDP-supported training programme, young people who were once idle or discouraged are now learning to be ‘’techprenuers’’ and to proffer digital solutions to problems in their own communities. What started out as basic digital literacy classes is quickly transforming into a grassroots movement of youth-led innovation.
For Nzometiah Nervis Tetsop, the journey began with pain and purpose. “Because of the ongoing crisis in the North-West and South-West regions of Cameroon, many children and young people dropped out of school or fled their homes. Some ended up on dangerous paths,” he says. “I just couldn’t watch my generation disappear.”
Nervtek Founder, Nzometiah Nervis Tetsop interacts with participants, encouraging them to dream big and use technology as a tool for change.
Determined to make a difference, Nervis launched Nervtek, a youth-led social enterprise that helps vulnerable children and young people gain hands-on practical skills in science, technology, engineering, maths, innovation, and entrepreneurship. Alongside his team, he designed a hands-on training programme to help young people not only survive but thrive in a digital economy. But ambition alone wasn’t enough, he needed support to make it real.
That support came in 2021 and 2024, when UNDP’s Recovery Programme funded the second edition of the “Nervtek Community Challenge” for young tech entrepreneurs and the fifth edition of the "Holiday Tech Camp” for Kids, a creative, engaging holiday tech camp in Buea and Bamenda that introduces children and teens to coding, robotics, artificial intelligence, cyber security, 3D printing, and design thinking. The feedback was overwhelming as young participants found a safe, fun, and inspiring space to learn, explore, and dream.
Youth showcase their digital innovations at the closing ceremony of the 2025 Holiday Tech Camp in Buea
Encouraged by this early success, and with additional backing from UNDP’s Accelerator Lab in 2024, Nervtek expanded the programme, reaching even more youth across the region. What began as a small holiday workshop is now a growing model for inclusive tech empowerment.
“With the support we received from UNDP Cameroon and other partners, we’ve been able to train over 500 young people, many of them internally displaced, out of school, or deeply affected by the crisis,” says Nervis. “They’ve learned digital literacy, frontier tech skills, innovation, business development, and how to bring their ideas to life. These aren’t just theoretical skills, they’re practical, usable, and relevant to building a thriving digital economy.”
Young participants during a hands on coding session
A young participant explores the world of robotics
UNDP’s Recovery Programme recognized Nervtek’s potential to drive grassroots innovation and youth empowerment in conflict-affected regions. By supporting key initiatives like the Nervtek Community Challenge and the Holiday Tech Camp, UNDP helped transform a local idea into a regional model for digital inclusion and resilience.
At the 2025 Holiday Tech Camp Closing Ceremony in Buea, UNDP’s Regional Coordinator, Mr. Ivo Lysinge, underscored the critical role of digital skills in fostering resilience and unlocking economic opportunities. The ceremony highlighted a range of youth-led innovations, from solar-powered phone chargers to interactive online safety games, showcasing the impact of the programme on young people and their communities.
“Innovation thrives even in imperfect conditions,” noted Mr. Lysinge during the ceremony. “UNDP is proud to support initiatives like Nervtek that unlock the potential of youth to shape a more resilient and inclusive future.”
UNDP Regional Coordinator Mr. Ivo Lysinge listens attentively as children explain their innovation prototypes
The Nervtek initiative aligns with UNDP’s broader goals of promoting digital inclusion, youth empowerment, and recovery in crisis-affected communities. By equipping young people with frontier tech skills, Nervtek contributes directly to peacebuilding and economic revitalization. UNDP is now exploring opportunities to deepen collaboration with Nervtek, including integrating digital learning modules into community recovery programmes and supporting resource mobilization to scale the initiative across the NW and SW regions.
This growing impact has also attracted other strategic partners. Nervtek is now working with GIZ, the Cameroonian Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, and even UNDP Liberia, which has expressed interest in replicating the model.
“Working with UNDP gave us credibility and visibility,” Nervis notes. “It opened doors to bigger platforms and gave us the confidence to dream even bigger.”
A group photo captures the joy and pride of young graduates of the Nervtek training programme in Liberia
Looking ahead, Nervis has his sights set on establishing a Research and Development Center equipped with advanced tools and tech to support product innovation. He’s also working toward setting up incubation hubs, where young people can refine their ideas and launch the next generation of tech start-ups.
“Training 300 young people is just the beginning,” he says. “Now imagine if we can reach 1,000 or even 10,000. We’re not just teaching skills, we’re building a movement of young techpreneurs.”
A young trainee beams with pride as she receives her certificate
Graduates of the Nervtek training programme celebrate their achievements alongside trainers and partners
Graduates of the Nervtek training programme celebrate their achievements alongside trainers and partners