Nigeria, Ethiopia Innovators Lead Efforts To Reach ‘Zero Dose’ Children

Two innovative projects in Nigeria and Ethiopia have received significant funding from Save the Children through its Immunisation Accelerator, supported by GSK, to tackle the growing challenge of ‘zero dose’ children — those who have never received routine vaccinations.

With an estimated 2.1 million zero-dose children in Nigeria and nearly one million in Ethiopia, the accelerator, launched in April 2024, aims to empower local organisations to develop groundbreaking solutions to improve vaccination coverage.

From 120 submissions, the Centre for Integrated Health Programs (CIHP) in Nigeria and HABTech Solutions PLC in Ethiopia were awarded nearly $100,000 in grants each.

CIHP is employing a ‘positive deviance’ strategy, where caregivers who have successfully vaccinated their children despite challenges share their experiences to encourage others, particularly in urban slums where immunisation rates remain low.

Dr Bolanle Oyeledun, CEO of CIHP, explained, “This funding will allow us to collaborate with Lagos State to address vaccine hesitancy and create community-driven solutions to increase vaccination uptake in underserved areas.”

HABTech Solutions PLC has developed a digital innovation that uses data analytics to pinpoint zero-dose children, track vaccine shortages, and improve decision-making for immunisation programmes.

The general manager of HABTech, Adane Letta Mamuye, said, “Our platform will help stakeholders make data-driven interventions by mapping out hard-to-reach communities and addressing supply chain gaps, ultimately improving immunisation outcomes.”

Save the Children Immunisation Accelerator Lead Ermias Teshome highlighted the projects’ potential: “These locally driven solutions demonstrate the remarkable potential to reach zero-dose children and create scalable change. We are excited to support their journey toward transforming immunisation outcomes in Ethiopia, Nigeria, and beyond.”

The innovations will be piloted alongside vaccination programmes run by Save the Children in partnership with GSK. A second call for submissions is expected in April 2025, with details available at www.stc-accelerator.org.