Cameroon NCDI Poverty Commission holds kick-off meeting

The Cameroon NCDI Poverty Commission held their inaugural meeting on March 21 in Yaoundé. About 20 participants convened both in person and virtually to officially launch the new Commission. Cameroon is the second of seven new member countries to launch a Commission in 2021, following Benin’s launch in February. 

The meeting was hosted by the Ministry of Health and overseen by Prof. Samuel Kingue and Prof. Mbu Robinson, the Chair and vice-Chair of the Commission. Both leaders provided opening and framing remarks for the meeting. 

In addition, participants heard presentations from Dr. Emmanuel Mensah, NCDI Poverty Network lead for West Africa, Dr. Aristide Stéphane, sub-Director for NCDIs, and Dr. Yauba Saidu, Country Director of CHAI Cameroon and coordinator of the Cameroon NCDI Poverty Commission. The group was joined by colleagues from CDC, the WHO Country office, and many multisector partners. 

The discussion following the presentations was rich, with strong enthusiasm for the national-level analysis to guide policy and implementation of NCD care.