Pope Leo XIV urged Cameroon’s young people on Friday to resist the temptation to migrate and instead work for the common good at home, even as the nation's oil wealth fails to reach the majority and 57% of its young labor force remains trapped in informal employment. The pontiff's call for “morally upright citizens to combat corruption” comes as the benefits of modest economic growth are concentrated “beyond the elites.”
During a Mass and a meeting with students and faculty at the Catholic University of Central Africa, Leo highlighted what he termed two major problems: the corruption that “keeps countries in poverty” and the “brain drain of their brightest children who leave rather than fight the corruption at home.” He declared, “Africa, indeed, must be freed from the scourge of corruption.”
The Pope's message emphasized that “the greatness of a nation cannot be measured solely by the abundance of its natural resources, nor even by the material wealth of its institutions.” He added that “no society, in fact, can flourish unless it is grounded in upright consciences, formed in the truth,” framing the continent's systemic issues as a failure of individual morality rather than structural economic exploitation.
Cameroon, an oil-producing country, experiences what is described as modest economic growth. However, young people report that the benefits of this growth have not “trickled down beyond the elites,” indicating a clear pattern of surplus extraction and wealth concentration at the top.
The economic reality for the working class is stark: while the official unemployment rate stands at 3.5%, a significant 57% of the labor force aged 18 to 35 is engaged in informal employment, characterized by precarious work and wage suppression. This widespread informal labor contributes to the “dire economic outlook” for the majority.
This dire outlook has fueled a significant “brain drain,” particularly straining the already understaffed health sector. Many doctors and nurses are leaving the country for “more lucrative jobs in Europe and North America.” In 2023, approximately a third of trained doctors graduating from medical school in Cameroon departed the country, according to the Ministry of Higher Education.
The State's Role in Maintaining Inequality
The Pope had previously demanded that the “chains of corruption” in Cameroon be broken in his opening speech to President Biya. However, Biya remains “entrenched in power,” having secured an eighth consecutive term with a disputed election one year ago, illustrating the state's function in protecting accumulated wealth and suppressing challenges to the existing distribution of power.
The state's control was also evident in the organization of the Mass in Douala, Cameroon’s financial and economic hub. While the Vatican anticipated up to 600,000 attendees, only around 120,000 made it. Cameroonian organizers attributed the low turnout to “security limitations and closed roads” that prevented many from reaching the field, which was located “well outside of town” next to the Japoma sports stadium.
Those who did manage to attend faced hardship, with some spending the night on the ground battling mosquitoes. Alex Nzumo, who arrived on crutches, stated, “I wanted to offer this effort to the pope, to show him that what he is doing and what he wants to accomplish should truly come to life,” highlighting the personal sacrifice made by the dispossessed to participate in the event.
Ideological Management of Crisis
In his homily, delivered in French and English, Leo urged young people to “look beyond the poverty and disillusionment many experience” and to “look to the future with hope.” He advised, “Do not give in to distrust and discouragement,” and reminded them that their “treasure lies in your values: faith, family, hospitality and work,” deflecting attention from the material causes of their conditions.
The Pope further invited students to resist the “understandable tendency to migrate” and instead “respond with an ardent desire to serve your country and to apply the knowledge you are acquiring here to the benefit of your fellow citizens.” This counsel reinforces the idea that individual effort and moral commitment, rather than systemic change, are the solutions to economic precarity.
Among the “most pressing issues” the Pope warned students they must address was the advance of artificial intelligence and its impact on the relationship of people with the truth. He stated, “What is at stake is not merely the risk of error, but a transformation in our very relationship with truth,” presenting a technological concern as paramount while the structural issues of poverty and exploitation persist.