Global Fund Cuts Cameroon Health Financing 29% to CFA134 Billion for 2027-2029

Cameroon is set to receive €205 million, or about CFA134 billion, from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria over three years starting in January 2027, a 29.3% reduction that will leave the country with about CFA56 billion less for its major disease-control and health-system programs.

The announcement followed a meeting in Yaoundé between Economy, Planning and Regional Development Minister Alamine Ousmane Mey and a Global Fund delegation led by senior fund portfolio manager Osian Jones.

According to the Economy Ministry, the €205 million allocation will cover three years and support programs against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, as well as efforts to strengthen the health system. The amount is substantially below the previous cycle. For 2024-2026, the Global Fund’s board allocated €289.9 million, or CFA190.17 billion, to Cameroon for the three diseases and health-system strengthening.

The new allocation represents a decline of €84.9 million, or about CFA55.7 billion, equivalent to 29.3%. The reduction comes amid tighter resources for international health financing. For its eighth allocation cycle, the Global Fund has $10.78 billion available for country allocations. According to the organization, that represents a 17.9% decline from the previous cycle.

The funding constraint has led the Global Fund to tighten requirements on the selection of interventions, domestic resource mobilization and co-financing. The organization says most recipient countries are receiving smaller allocations and will need to concentrate available resources on priority programs.

That pressure was already apparent in Cameroon in 2025. On May 22 of that year, after discussions with Global Fund officials in Geneva, the Ministry of Public Health said declining international financing required adjustments to programs against HIV, tuberculosis and malaria. The two sides agreed, among other measures, to scale back some interventions considered “non-essential” to preserve critical activities.

The ministry also reiterated that Cameroon must meet its co-financing commitments or risk a reduction of up to 20% in its grants. The new funding cycle is scheduled to begin in January 2027 and run for three years, according to the Economy Ministry. It will extend a partnership that has lasted 23 years.

Over that period, the Global Fund says it has mobilized about €1.2 billion, or nearly CFA787 billion, for Cameroon. The funding has supported HIV, tuberculosis and malaria prevention, testing and treatment, as well as some components of the national health system. From 2027, the smaller allocation will leave Cameroonian authorities with about CFA56 billion less than in the previous cycle to distribute across these programs.

Ludovic Amara