On Friday, May 16th 2025, Prof. Charles Wondji led a delegation to meet with Dr. Albert Zeh Meka, the newly appointed Permanent Secretary of the Cameroon National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP).
Family picture
CRID’s team included: Prof. Cyrille Ndo, Head of Parasitology and Microbiology Department; Dr Tchouakui Magellan, Research scientist; Dr Armel Tedjou and Dr Yvan Fotso Toguem, Post-doctoral Research Assistants. The meeting opened with a comprehensive presentation of CRID, highlighting its core activities and ongoing projects, particularly those developed in partnership with the NMCP. These include entomological surveillance of insecticide resistance, training and capacitation of community health workers, and the evaluation of mosquito net durability. A special focus was placed on the introduction of spatial repellents, innovative vector control tools designed to deter mosquitoes from targeted areas.
Throughout the discussions, both parties underscored the critical importance of robust collaboration between research institutions and national health programs. Dr. Meka emphasized his strong commitment to deepening the partnership with CRID, recognizing that leveraging scientific evidence and operational research is essential for optimizing malaria control strategies nationwide. He stressed that collaborative efforts are vital to ensure that research findings translate into impactful policies and interventions that benefit communities across Cameroon.
Pr. Charles presenting a spatial repellent do Dr Meka
As an immediate step to reinforce this collaboration, Dr. Meka expressed his intention to visit CRID’s facilities in the near future, aiming to gain a first-hand understanding of its technical capabilities and explore further avenues for joint action. “In the future, CRID will be invited to take part in Scientific days organized inorder to present to the public activities carried out in the fight against malaria. Through our WhatsApp channel, we intend to inform the populations in an accessible language”, the Permanent Secretary added. This renewed spirit of partnership marks a significant step forward in the collective fight against malaria, highlighting the shared vision of CRID and NMCP to deliver science-driven solutions for public health in Cameroon.
Note that collaboration between CRID and NMCP goes back a long way. In April 2024, CRID had made a donation of computers and modeling softwares to NMCP to support their Mathematical modeling unit and ensure that decision-making is truly informed. For background, Dr. Albert Zeh Meka was officially installed as the new Permanent Secretary of the NMCP on April 2nd 2025. Previously, he had served as the Deputy Permanent Secretary at the National AIDS Control Committee.
