On June 29, 2026, in Yaoundé, SAILD, in collaboration with the Network of Parliamentarians for the Promotion of the Health System and Support for Vaccination (REPAPSSAV), organized a parliamentary meeting on the sustainable financing of health care and vaccination in Cameroon, with a view to developing a roadmap for domestic resource mobilization.
The Paul Biya Palais des Verres, the seat of the National Assembly, hosted this meeting. On the second floor of the building, the room dedicated to the memory of Salomon Tandeng Muna, former Speaker of the lower house, brought together some 40 members of parliament, in the presence of the Prime Minister’s representative, Chief Dr. Blessed Okolle, Special Advisor. The event aimed to establish a framework for dialogue among government authorities, parliamentarians, civil society, and experts in health financing and vaccination; to analyze the challenges of financing health care and vaccination; to identify opportunities for mobilizing domestic resources; and to examine innovative mechanisms for sustainable health financing in Cameroon.
The findings that emerged during the discussions are alarming. As of June 29, 2026, only 19% of the fiscal year 2026 funds earmarked for vaccination have been secured. This has led to serious consequences, including a backlog of unpaid bills, the non-delivery of vaccine supplies, and nearly 430,000 unvaccinated Cameroonian children. The main challenge identified is that the Government of Cameroon will need to bridge this funding gap by the end of the year by mobilizing additional resources. “The government must be proactive and understand that vaccination is important for Cameroon’s youth. It is a guarantee of economic and public health security for the country, so we must make it a priority in order to close this gap. We are thinking long-term: by 2030, GAVI will withdraw from Cameroon and will no longer fund vaccines. We must seek innovative ways to secure funding to bridge this current gap,” stated the Prime Minister’s representative.
A bill designed to raise funds for vaccination
The parliamentary meeting, held in the lead-up to the budget policy debate, also provided lawmakers with the tools to develop proposals for budgetary and tax reforms aimed at supporting healthcare and funding vaccination efforts. According to the lawmakers in attendance, a medium- and long-term law is needed to ensure domestic, sustainable, and lasting funding for vaccination and primary healthcare. “This law could provide the framework for establishing a fund dedicated to vaccination. We commend the efforts already made by the government, including the allocation of budgetary funds. We still need to mobilize cash reserves, which is a separate matter. Through 2030, we will need approximately 130 billion CFA francs to cover vaccination-related expenses, which amounts to 0.36% of Cameroon’s current GDP. Inflation at 2.5% generates 900 billion in additional tax revenue. We propose that what the government takes from Cameroonians in the form of inflation be channeled into the vaccination fund as a “social VAT,” explained the Honorable Engelbert Alain Essomba Bengono.
Following the discussions, the parliamentarians—united by a common cause—jointly defined the guidelines for a roadmap aimed at strengthening domestic funding for health care and vaccination in Cameroon. A declaration of commitment by the parliamentarians in support of sustainable funding for vaccination in Cameroon was also adopted. Through this declaration, the deputies and senators present reaffirmed their commitment to making vaccination funding a national priority and pledged to fully exercise their legislative, budgetary, and oversight functions to ensure the sustainability of the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI). In particular, they committed to advocating for increased national funding for immunization, supporting the creation of innovative financing mechanisms, ensuring regular monitoring of the execution of budgets allocated to immunization and compliance with Gavi’s co-financing commitments, promoting transparency and accountability in resource management, and encouraging the mobilization of decentralized local authorities.
- Sharon Maché
