Social media revamp by 92-year-old president struggles to woo young Cameroonians

Even earlier the world's oldest president confirmed that helium would tally for an eighth word successful power, his societal media accounts near experts successful nary doubt.

By the clip 92-year-old Paul Biya officially confirmed helium would question re-election arsenic Cameroon's president past week, helium had already been ramping up his online beingness for respective months.

Daily posts connected Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) people a striking departure from his previous, occasional presence.

But Biya's attempts to triumph implicit young radical up of October's predetermination whitethorn beryllium falling flat, analysts archer the BBC.

"Cameroon has implicit 5.4 cardinal societal media users, but 95% of young radical trust connected WhatsApp - a level wherever statesmanlike connection is astir non-existent," says Rostant Tane, the manager of Media Intelligence Sarl and writer of the Cameroon 2024 Multimedia Audience Study.

"There's nary determination segmentation, nary interactivity, and precise small effort to talk the integer connection of young people," helium adds.

Another stumbling artifact is authenticity.

"Many cognize that it is not Paul Biya himself who is penning - which creates region and limits trust," says Hervé Tiwa, a lecturer successful connection sciences.

"Their connection remains precise top-down without immoderate existent enactment - comments ignored oregon deleted, a deficiency of personalised responses... This gives the content of a strategy that is much cosmetic than participatory."

Why does this matter?

Cameroon's colonisation is overwhelmingly young. Over 60% of the colonisation is nether 25, with much than fractional the electorate being nether the property of 30, meaning they could perchance determine the result of the election.

"Political connection indispensable service ideology and transparency, and not conscionable beryllium utilized arsenic a selling tool," says 27-year-old communications specializer Ulrich Donfack.

Young radical privation to spot factual enactment connected issues that impact them, agrees Falone Ngu, who is besides 27.

"Cameroon's younker are not conscionable looking for flashy graphics oregon slogans connected the media! They privation opportunities, alteration and hope," says the societal endeavor founder, who did reserve immoderate praise for the president's societal media squad for realising that "leadership and digitalisation spell manus successful hand".

Unemployment is precocious successful Cameroon, with adjacent the astir qualified young radical successful possession of aggregate assemblage degrees struggling to find work. Corruption and information are besides cardinal concerns.

But alternatively of focusing connected those issues, galore posts connected Biya's societal media accounts emphasise his way grounds during 43 years successful powerfulness - a clip earlier overmuch of the colonisation was adjacent born.

According to connection strategist Aristide Mabatto, Biya's squad is present publishing excerpts successful French and English from much than 300 speeches the president has delivered implicit the decades.

One recent, pointed illustration drew connected a code from 2000, chiding radical who lecture others but neglect to preach by example. That was posted conscionable 2 days aft one of Biya's longest-standing allies criticised his regularisation and abandoned him.

This somewhat staid attack does not look to person ignited overmuch enthusiasm, but is inactive an betterment connected what went before.

"His connection utilized to beryllium constricted to authoritative decrees and authorities addresses. The displacement to predominant integer messaging shows a deliberate effort to reclaim the communicative and look much present," argues Tiwa.

Biya's lack from the nationalist for much than six weeks past twelvemonth had led to speculation astir his wellbeing and unfounded rumours that helium had died.

Supporters person praised these latest efforts, with authorities media similar Cameroon Tribune highlighting Biya's integer outreach arsenic a motion of vitality and leadership.

But scepticism and sarcasm are successful greater grounds online. Comments beneath caller posts connected Paul Biya's X and Facebook accounts include:

"It looks similar he's discovering the net successful 2025, but it's chiefly an electoral marketplace test," says a idiosyncratic called Cynthia.

"Finally he's talking to young people!", comments Jean-Pierre.

"Cameroonians privation roads, not hashtags," writes a idiosyncratic called Mireille.

"Personally, I'm not astatine each convinced," 32-year-old entrepreneur Che Arnold tells the BBC of the Biya camp's strategy to entreaty to young voters.

"It needs to spell beyond tweets, Facebook messages and a elemental online beingness to beforehand governmental reforms but besides lick existent societal problems."

Biya volition person to hold until the predetermination successful October to spot if these efforts volition construe into much young radical voting for him.

Editing and further reporting by Natasha Booty