Cameroon Telecommunications general manager Judith Yah Sunday.

Cameroon Telecommunications (Camtel) has established two new projects to encourage young technologists and accelerate the country's digital economy by 2035.

During Camtel Youth Day, the telco announced the Blue Tech Challenge and  Camtel Start-Up and Innovation Forum' initiatives to young people in the capital, Yaounde.

The Blue Tech Challenge will be a competition to reward excellence and the most innovative ideas, initiatives, and inventions from universities, business schools, researchers, and start-ups.

Meanwhile, the Camtel Start-Up and Innovation Forum will serve as a permanent physical and virtual forum for digital industry actors to exchange ideas.

According to Camtel executives, the new initiatives aim to make technology and innovations key to business development in the country.

They also hope to help boost the development of start-ups and expand the country's technology ecosystem.

Camtel's general manager, Judith Yah Sunday Achidi, stated that both programmes are expected to increase young people's contributions to the sector's competitiveness and would be held annually beginning this year.

"We are well aware of the important role that young people and start-ups have to play in promoting the digital economy and digital transformation," Achidi added.

Young people at Tuesday's event applauded the initiatives, but urged the government to improve the digital investment framework, particularly by streamlining business registration procedures and giving tax breaks to start-ups.

They also urged the government to create an ecosystem around startup ideas and projects in order to address local and national development challenges more effectively.