In a move that has become as predictable as sunrise, President Paul Biya has once again brushed aside mounting calls from Cameroon's youth for a younger leader, formally announcing his candidacy for the 2025 presidential elections.
At 92 years old, Biya's decision to seek an eighth consecutive term represents not just political stubbornness, but a fundamental disconnect from the aspirations of a nation where over 60% of the population is under 25.
The Youth Cry Out, the Palace Turns Deaf
For months, young Cameroonians have been increasingly vocal about their desire for generational change. Through social media campaigns, civil society organizations, and public demonstrations, they have articulated a simple but powerful message: it's time for fresh leadership that understands the challenges of the 21st century.
These aren't just abstract political demands. Young Cameroonians face unemployment rates exceeding 30%, limited access to quality education, crumbling infrastructure, and a brain drain that sees their most talented peers flee to Europe and North America. They've watched their country slide in global competitiveness rankings while their African peers like Rwanda, Ghana, and Botswana surge ahead under younger, more dynamic leadership.
Yet Biya's response has been to dismiss these concerns with the casual wave of someone who has been in power since before most of his critics were born. The message is clear: your voices don't matter, your aspirations are irrelevant, and your future will be decided by someone who represents the past.
The Audacity of Eternal Power
There's something almost surreal about a 92-year-old man believing he's the best option to lead a youthful nation into the future. Biya first took power in 1982 when the internet didn't exist, mobile phones were science fiction, and the Berlin Wall still divided Europe. He has been president longer than most of his citizens have been alive.
This isn't leadership—it's political necromancy, the refusal to let go of power even when age and time have rendered one's connection to contemporary realities tenuous at best. While world leaders grapple with artificial intelligence, climate change, and digital transformation, Cameroon remains trapped in the political amber of the 1980s.
The Gerontocracy's Stranglehold
Biya's candidacy announcement isn't just about one man's refusal to step aside; it's symptomatic of a broader gerontocracy that has infected Cameroon's political system. The country's key institutions are dominated by septuagenarians and octogenarians who view politics as a lifetime appointment rather than public service.
This system has created a vicious cycle: young people are excluded from meaningful political participation, their ideas dismissed as naive, and their energy channeled into either emigration or frustration. Meanwhile, an aging elite clings to power with the desperation of those who know they have nothing to offer except the promise of continuity in a world that demands change.
The Insult to Democracy
By downplaying youth calls for a younger president, Biya isn't just ignoring public opinion—he's insulting the very concept of democratic representation. Democracy presupposes that leaders are responsive to the people they serve. When a leader consistently ignores the demographic that represents the majority of his population, he's essentially admitting that he governs without consent.
The tragedy is that Cameroon's youth aren't asking for revolution; they're asking for evolution. They want leaders who understand technology, who can navigate global markets, who can attract international investment, and who can build bridges with the modern world. Instead, they get a president who seems perpetually stuck in the 1980s.
The Price of Stagnation
Biya's decision to run again comes at a tremendous cost to Cameroon's development. While other African nations are leveraging their youthful populations to drive innovation and growth, Cameroon remains trapped in a time warp. The country's brightest minds continue to seek opportunities elsewhere, its economy stagnates, and its international reputation suffers.
The irony is that Biya's insistence on remaining in power may ultimately destroy the very legacy he claims to protect. History will remember him not as a statesman who guided his nation through challenging times, but as a man who couldn't recognize when his time had passed.
The Global Embarrassment
Internationally, Biya's candidacy has become a source of embarrassment. At global summits, he's often the oldest leader present, a relic from an era when African leaders were expected to be strongmen rather than democrats. His presence at international forums sends a message that Cameroon is not a serious player in the modern world.
Young Cameroonians who travel abroad often find themselves having to explain why their country is led by someone who predates the internet. It's a humiliation that compounds the frustration of a generation that wants to be proud of their homeland but finds it increasingly difficult to defend.
The Inevitable Reckoning
What Biya and his enablers fail to understand is that demographics are destiny. No amount of political maneuvering can change the fact that Cameroon's future belongs to its youth. By continuously dismissing their calls for change, the regime is storing up problems that will eventually explode.
The question isn't whether change will come—it's whether it will come through peaceful democratic transition or through the kind of upheaval that aging autocrats often provoke through their refusal to step aside gracefully.
A Call to Action
The youth of Cameroon must not be discouraged by Biya's dismissive attitude. If anything, his candidacy should serve as a wake-up call that change will not come from the goodwill of the gerontocracy—it must be demanded and won through sustained political action.
This means organizing, voting, and refusing to accept the narrative that age automatically confers wisdom or that experience in maintaining power translates to competence in addressing modern challenges. It means supporting younger candidates who understand contemporary realities and can articulate a vision for the future.
The Last Stand of Yesterday's Man
Paul Biya's decision to run again in 2025 represents the last stand of yesterday's man against tomorrow's possibilities. At 92, he embodies everything that's wrong with African politics—the confusion of longevity with competence, the belief that power is a personal possession rather than a public trust, and the arrogance that dismisses the aspirations of the majority.
The youth of Cameroon deserve better than to have their future mortgaged to satisfy the ego of a nonagenarian who has outlived his usefulness. They deserve leaders who share their energy, understand their challenges, and can navigate the complexities of the modern world.
Biya's candidacy may be his right, but it's also his final insult to a nation that has waited too long for change. The question now is whether Cameroon's youth will accept this insult or transform their frustration into the political energy needed to finally turn the page on this endless chapter of gerontocratic rule.
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