Vaccine sovereignty: Journalists, CSOs gain knowledge on budget advocacy.

The workshop which ended Thursday July 10, was organised by the non-governmental organisation, Local Development Initiatives Support Service, SAILD. This was in collaboration with the Expanded Programme on Immunisation, EPI, of the Ministry of Public Health. 

It was organised as part of a project dubbed ‘Acting for Vaccine Sovereignty in Cameroon’, initiated and implemented by SAILD with technical and financial support from the Global Health Advocacy Incubator, GHAI. 

According to Marie Martine Yobol, Project Manager at SAILD explained that the project ‘Acting for Vaccine Sovereignty in Cameroon’ was initiated to draw the attention of government authorities to the urgent need to allocate additional funds for the financing of vaccination and primary health care in Cameroon for the period after 2027.

According to her, since 2001, Cameroon has relied on the significant financial support from the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation, GAVI, its main partner in the field of vaccination.

“Combined with national efforts, GAVI's support has enabled Cameroon to increase its vaccination coverage, with a significant impact on the elimination of neonatal and maternal tetanus, the cessation of wild poliovirus circulation, control major measles and yellow fever epidemics, and numerous respiratory diseases in children,” she explained.

She regretted that after 2027, Cameroon will no longer be eligible for GAVI financial support which could contribute to significantly dismantling the vaccination system that has been strengthened over decades if a genuine national relay is not guaranteed.

She then stressed that “the country will therefore have to find additional resources to cover the gap caused by GAVI's withdrawal in order to continue to provide vaccination services to target populations”. 

“The media and civil society play an important role in shaping

public and government opinion. Their constructive participation is fundamental to influencing the actions of national institutions and ensuring that decision-making and accountability mechanisms reflect national needs and priorities, such as health,” she further explained. 

CSOs vital for vaccine funding 

In his presentation, Ferdinand Tabi, one of the facilitators,

Harmered on the central role of CSO involvement in vaccination funding. 

According to him, they have to advocate, communicate and perform the role of social mobilisers aimed at facilitating community action, characterised by:  community participation in healthcare financing, community representatives' participation in co-management; community health workers' services and community initiatives to promote health. 

He stressed that civil society leaders must find out about all available sources and mechanisms of financing related to health; scout sources of sovereign, domestic and alternative donor financing as well as conduct a fairly comprehensive assessment of the difficulties associated with mobilising resources. 

He also called on them to assess the adequacy of the alignment between the orientation of the financing received and the quality of its use and identify key actors in the field, platforms, networks, coalitions and working groups.

Only 1.4% of health expenditure on vaccination

According to officials from the EPI, out of the about 5% of state budget that is allocated for health expenditure, only 1.4% is assigned for vaccination, which is lower than other countries.

With GAVI pulling out from sponsoring Cameroon due to its financing policy regarding countries that becomes wealthier by virtue of their GDP, EPI officials are calling for a 20% annual increase in the state budget for vaccination compared to its 2024 level in a bid to fill up the current gap in vaccination.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3503 of Monday July 14, 2025