SAILD, in collaboration with REPAPSSAV, organized a high-level dialogue with members of parliament. The event, held on May 22, 2026, at the National Assembly building in Yaoundé, aimed to identify potential solutions for the sustainable financing of vaccination in Cameroon.
130 billion CFA francs is the amount Cameroon will need to raise by 2030 to avoid a future vaccination crisis. Beyond the numbers, this cost is a national concern in terms of meeting the population’s health needs. For now, the focus is on developing mechanisms that can help raise this amount of money. To this end, some fifteen members of parliament, alongside civil society actors, representatives of government institutions, and technical and financial partners, gathered on May 22, 2026. The House of Representatives served as the venue for this meeting on the sustainable financing of vaccination in Cameroon. The event, organized by the Local Development Initiatives Support Service (SAILD) in collaboration with the Network of Parliamentarians for the Promotion of the Health System and Support for Vaccination (REPAPSSAV), addressed clearly defined issues during the discussions.
Around the table, discussions focused on the current state of vaccination funding in Cameroon, mechanisms for sustainable financing, and the role of parliamentarians in the ongoing process toward sustainable vaccination funding. According to Leonel Onana, an expert in health financing, vaccination must become a priority in Cameroon. “ The country has committed to investing at least 15% of the national budget in health under the Abuja Convention. But we have regressed over the years. According to the EPI’s annual reports, its domestic share of the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) has dropped from 34.8% in 2021 to 14.5% in 2024. The majority is covered by external funding, which will come to an end in a few years. Research shows that the gap is significant, and time is running out. Cameroon must resolutely take charge of the issue of financing its vaccination program,” he explained.
Preventing illness through vaccination to reduce healthcare costs
Stakeholders emerged from this workshop better equipped and more committed to advocating for sustainable funding for vaccination in Cameroon. Among the participants was Joseph Wato, president of the Coalition of Civil Society Organizations for Health Financing and Universal Health Coverage (COFIS-CSU). In his view, vaccination is not an expense but an investment. “The government is making efforts, but they are insufficient given the current situation outlined in the presentations. For us as civil society, this is a problem. We want the government to invest more in public health issues. If we can better prevent certain diseases through vaccines, we will no longer have to spend so much on treatment,” Joseph emphasized.
However, experts say that investing in this area requires highly sophisticated mechanisms. The Honorable Ngo Issi épouse Mbock, Secretary General of REPAPSSAV, shares some proposals. “We are leaving the workshop with data that will enable us to urge the government to fulfill its commitments so that the vaccination system does not face a crisis. We plan to advocate for concrete action proposals. For example, collecting funds from strategic sectors to establish a special fund to address the issue of vaccination financing in the future. “We have begun working toward this goal, particularly to develop an appropriate regulatory framework—that is, a law governing vaccination in Cameroon—so that we may eventually have a more credible health system and better protect our populations, especially children,” she assured. The parliamentarians present, for their part, recognized the challenges associated with vaccination financing and committed to raising this issue to the highest levels. The next meeting dedicated to identifying and studying vaccination financing mechanisms will be held in the coming weeks.
- Sharon Maché
