Yaounde: Organisation, Positive Generation, highlights importance of locally produced vaccines.

The presser was to present the results of a study on health security in Cameroon.

It was carried out in partnership with the organisation, Actions for Development and Empowerment, ADE.

The goal was to assess the country’s preparedness and response in key areas of health security, including health financing, coordination, antimicrobial resistance and infection prevention and control. 

The Yaounde sitting was an occasion to communicate on the availability of health tools and also to edify the public on the situation of health security in the country. 

A representative of Positive Generation, Kayo Jodelle, said the study was carried out during the COVID-19 period and focused on issues related to health security in the country. 

“The work that we have presented here shows that Cameroon needs coordination and governance on issues related to health security. It would be interesting for Cameroon to anticipate a little more on issues related to financing, and then also on domestic resources for financing,” Jodelle said. 

Suggesting planning of domestic resources as one of the solutions to health financing challenges, the study revealed that Cameroon has a problem with regards to the production of vaccines. The study also highlighted the importance of the country producing its own locally made vaccines.

“We strongly recommend that it would be important for Cameroon to also invest in the production of vaccines locally. It is not impossible. If we pose a problem on the table, we could get experts on the issue and produce vaccines, because it is also a question of sovereignty,” Jodelle said.  

Borrowing from the success recorded by local solutions during COVID-19, she said “it would be interesting to base ourselves on these solutions to promote vaccines, and domestic research”.

Jodelle recommended that the Ministry of Scientific Research and Innovation inject more resources in financing on research on vaccines in order to be sovereign.

“Who says vaccines, says prevention, and prevention is one of the main bases when it comes to a disease. When we predict better, we will not reach the extent to treat or cure the disease, so Cameroon should put vaccine on its research list,” she said. 

ADE calls for collective intervention

Speaking to the press, the Programmes Associate of Actions for Development and Empowerment, ADE, Nde Laura Ngwe, disclosed that the project is focused on domestic resource mobilisation on health security to come up with a scorecard on health security. 

Nde said the scorecard is to help assess current gaps and strengths of the health security system in Cameroon. She called on all and sundry to join in strengthening health security system in the country.

“We underscored that CSOs are not being involved in the coordination and governance in health security issues. So, we are advocating a strengthened health system and for everyone to be involved in the implication of laws or enforcement that concerns health security in the country,” Nde said. 

She said the projected also enabled ADE to understand why the country is not producing its own vaccine and to be able to strengthen the health system to meet international standards. 

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3483 of Tuesday June 24, 2025