POPULATION MOBILITY MAPPING (PMM) IN EAST REGION FOR COORDINATING PUBLIC HEALTH INTERVENTIONS ALONG MOBILITY CORRIDORS IN CAMEROOON

On 25 August 2020, IOM organized in the Eastern city of Bertoua a Population Mobility Mapping Exercise, with 19 participants representing 15 different stakeholders who are all responding to COVID-19 in East region.

Cameroon’s East region holds particular significance for a greater understanding of mobility trends and migration practices, due to its strategic position of being the main point of access by road to the Central African Republic and Chad, both land locked countries that rely heavily on the continued and uninterrupted transport of freight and persons for a range of essential goods and services. A general strengthening of public health measures along these mobility corridors within East region was thus seen as a priority for the first roll-out of this exercise.

Through a set methodology of data collection, participants identified the points of entry (PoEs), axes of mobility or key travel routes, and the main points of interest (PoI), before concluding with the prioritization of 11 PoEs and 21 PoIs for public health interventions in the event of a public health crisis. The data was then confirmed in the days following the exercise with field verification visits to 12 sites, including the two busiest points of entry Garoua-Boulai and Kentzou.

Findings of this mapping were presented to Technical and Financial Partners (PTF) in Yaoundé, as well as the working group for PoEs in Cameroon, and will help to guide future activities moving forward.