The parliamentarians forum on sustainable financing for immunization in Cameroon was held on Tuesday, July 08, 2025 at the National Assembly headquarters in Yaoundé.
Organized by the Support Service for Local Development Initiatives(SAILD) in partnership with the Network of Parliamentarians for the Promotion of the Health System and Support for Vaccination (REPAPSSAV), the aim of the meeting was to strengthen stakeholder commitment and support for immunization financing, with a view to improving immunization coverage, safeguarding public health and contributing to the achievement of Cameroon’s health objectives. Over 70 participants took part.
They included parliamentarians, civil society organizations, government representatives and technical and financial partners.
Marie Martine Yobol is the project manager behind this initiative. “According to the Abuja agreements, Cameroon’s budget should be 15%, but it’s only 4%. We’re a long way off the mark. Vaccination is mostly financed by external organizations, including GAVI (Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization), which provides 60% of the funding“, she explains.
Vaccination, a primary health care
With the increase in Gross Domestic Product (GDP), GAVI will stop all subsidies in this area in Cameroon by 2027. “The international organization believes that Cameroon is already capable of independently financing immunization. This forum, which is part of the ‘Acting for Vaccine Sovereignty in Cameroon’ project, is therefore intended to raise public awareness of the importance of vaccination as part of primary health care, and to influence decision-makers in a positive way to change the situation“, she continued.
The issue of financing immunization in Cameroon and the current challenges in this area were addressed during the exchanges held at the National Assembly with the facilitation of discussion panels. For the Permanent Secretary of the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI), this is a commendable initiative. “The theme of the day is highly topical. There are various factors influencing the increase in immunization financing needs, notably demographic growth and Cameroon’s development, so that it is no longer under international assistance, which is a good thing“, asserted Dr Shalom Tchokfe.
According to the EPI representative, not funding immunization will have negative impacts for both the EPI and the population. “The EPI’s 50 years of existence have helped reduce infant and neonatal mortality by 25%. With funding shortfalls, we risk losing the results achieved, and there could be a resurgence of diseases that were once under control. And that’s something we absolutely must avoid” he noted.
The President of REPAPSSAV, Honorable Lawson Tabot, made a number of commitments.
“As parliamentarians, we are aware of this alarming situation. We started this network to reduce our dependence on international funding, so that the funds would come from our country, Cameroon. It’s a long process, and we’ve begun dialogues with the State and other partners, because the health and future of our children depend on these means of financing” he explains. The aim of the campaign is to draw the attention of decision-makers to the urgent need to allocate additional funds to finance immunization in Cameroon before 2028.
- Sharon Maché
