Covid-19 Transparency and Accountability Project

Project Summary

Having passed through three stages, the pan-African project CTAP sought to strengthen civic engagement on issues related to the COVID-19 response, ensuring that targeted governments effectively used COVID-19 funds during Phase I. ADE tracked the state of primary healthcare centres and vaccine distribution in 5 regions of Cameroon (Centre, North West, Far North, East and South), assessing 19 Primary Healthcare Centres.

After noting irregularities during CTAP Phase I, including mismanagement of funds and shortcomings in the health system such as no access to potable water, no alternative sources of electricity, no laboratories, doctors absent from their place of service, poor management of vaccines, and no separate toilets for men and women, Phase II focused on advocacy with national governance stakeholders to promote best practices in health sector management. It also examined citizens' perceptions of modern healthcare: 53% of the target population had access to modern health services, 92% favoured establishing a health insurance system, 92% used traditional medicine, and only 49% regularly used the public health system.

CTAP Phase III, launched in 2023, focused on spurring conversations on vaccine equity and the performance of the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) in strengthening immunisation coverage. It included sensitization of the Cameroonian population in partnership with the Ministry of Public Health (MINSANTE) on the importance of vaccination, organising meetings with EPI focal points from the South West and West regions, and community town hall meetings in five regions (South West, North West, Far North, Centre and West) to promote conversations about vaccine equity, distribution, hesitancy, and government commitment to the health sector.

Market sensitization campaigns were also carried out in Buea (South West), Mfou (Centre), Mora (Far North), and Bamenda I (North West) by the ADE team, volunteers, and EPI agents to educate the population on the importance of vaccination and ongoing vaccination campaigns for children, women, and men across their regions and Cameroon at large.