Camaioni Calcio Academy building a pathway for Cameroon’s next generation

Based in Douala, Camaioni Calcio Academy has established itself as an ambitious youth development centre just two years after its creation. The academy focuses on identifying, recruiting and training players aged between 12 and 15, with the long-term aim of helping them reach professional football.

Founded in 2023, the academy is already competing in its third consecutive season in the Ligue departementale de la Sanaga-Maritime. Its progress has been reflected in its results. Camaioni Calcio Academy finished third in its group during the 2024/25 season before advancing to the semi-finals of the Ligue departementale play-offs in 2025/26.

The development is a significant step for a club that remains young but has a clearly defined project. Under president Raoul Fabrice Biboum, the academy has placed the discovery and development of promising players at the centre of its work.

Eyalo Etaba Kanga earns national recognition

The academy’s efforts received a major boost when one of its players was selected for the preparation squad for the 2026 FIFA U-17 World Cup.

Steve Marco Eyalo Etaba Kanga’s call-up to the national U17 team has been welcomed as a source of great pride throughout Camaioni Calcio Academy. It represents the first major national recognition for a player developed within the project and provides an important reference point for the academy’s ambitions.

For Biboum and the academy, the achievement is also evidence that the work being carried out in Douala can produce players capable of attracting attention beyond the local level.

The president has stressed that Eyalo Etaba Kanga’s recognition should not be viewed as an isolated success. Camaioni Calcio Academy is continuing to monitor and support a group of young players who are being developed within the same structure.

Its approach extends beyond short-term sporting results. The academy’s stated priority is to give young footballers consistent support throughout their development and to guide them towards the professional game.

That process begins with identifying players with potential, bringing them into the academy and providing the training needed to help them progress. The club’s work is rooted in Douala, while its ambitions extend to contributing more broadly to the future of Cameroonian football.

Camaioni Calcio Academy’s rise forms part of Africafoot’s #EspoirsAfrique series, which examines youth development projects across the continent. The academy’s growing competitive record, combined with the emergence of a player in the national U17 set-up, has strengthened its claim to be an important local source of young talent.

Its next challenge will be to continue that progress while developing more players capable of following the path opened by Steve Marco Eyalo Etaba Kanga.