Nigeria has taken the lead role in advocating for the introduction of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV) and rotavirus vaccines across Africa.
The initiative is part of the PRECISE project spearheaded by the Vaccine Network for Disease Control (VNDC), with the aim to enhance childhood immunisation and safety in Guinea and South Sudan.
During a peer learning and capacity-building workshop in Nigeria, civil society organisations (CSOs) from Guinea and South Sudan engaged with local counterparts to draw on Nigeria’s successful experiences in vaccine introduction.
The workshop served as a platform for knowledge sharing and collaboration, equipping CSOs with the advocacy tools necessary to promote the introduction of PCV and rotavirus vaccines in their respective national immunisation programmes.
Speaking during the workshop in Abuja, the founder of the VNDC, Chika Offor, emphasised the role of CSOs in vaccine introduction, saying, “CSOs play a crucial role by serving as bridges between the communities and the government (health workers). They can help build trust in vaccines by providing accurate information and addressing specific community concerns.”
She highlighted trust and understanding of behavioural change as some of the key factors in vaccine introduction. “When it comes to vaccine introduction, there are some things that are clear. Trust is the key to it. Social and behavioural changes to the message, the messenger, and the content. These things have to be done appropriately, she said.
With pneumonia and rotavirus diseases claiming the lives of thousands of children annually, Offor emphasised that the urgency for effective vaccination strategies to save lives in Africa is greater than ever.
Globally, pneumonia is responsible for over 700,000 deaths among children under five each year, while rotavirus causes a significant number of diarrheal deaths, particularly in low-income countries. The WHO highlights that these diseases pose a severe threat to child health in regions like Guinea and South Sudan, where healthcare systems are often strained.
According to Offor, leveraging Nigeria’s established immunisation frameworks, The PRECISE project, in two focus countries, aims to advocate for the introduction of PCV and rotavirus vaccines, strengthen local CSOs, raise public awareness, and garner support for widespread vaccine adoption.
“Nigeria, which has already successfully introduced pneumococcal conjugate (PCV) and rotavirus vaccines into its national immunisation schedule, will serve as a model for CSOs from Guinea and South Sudan in their efforts to advocate for, introduce, and scale up the pneumococcal conjugate (PCV) and rotavirus vaccines within their country’s immunisation programmes,” she said.
On his part, the CEO of Réseau Afrique Jeunesse de Guinée (RAJ-GUI), Abdoulaye Djenab Camara, and the program manager of RASGI, the African Youth Network of Guinea, expressed confidence in their engagement with Nigerian partners to develop advocacy strategies for introducing the PCV and rotavirus vaccines in Guinea.
He highlighted that meningitis and diarrhoea are major causes of child mortality in Guinea despite the availability of highly effective vaccines.
With Guinea being one of the few countries that are yet to include the PCV and rotavirus vaccines in its routine immunisation schedule, Camara stated that the goal of their advocacy efforts is to push for the introduction of these vaccines in Guinea and also to learn from the experiences of their Nigerian partners.
Speaking on political will, former deputy chair of the Senate Committee on Healthcare Services, Mohammed Usman, urged political leaders to exhibit political will in generating finances internally and to attract external support and funding.
“The politicians have a great role to play, especially when it comes to budgeting and appropriation because vaccines are expensive and require finances. It is important that necessary laws are made, motions moved,” Usman said.
