Health advocates in Nigeria have raised serious concerns over the future of the country’s immunisation programme, warning that dwindling donor support and a tightening national health budget are putting millions of lives at risk.
Participants stressed the urgent need for sustainable vaccine financing at a Multi-Stakeholder Validation Workshop in Abuja.
The event, organised by the Vaccine Network for Disease Control (VNDC), raised awareness of the mounting challenges threatening immunisation efforts.
Speaking at the event, Mrs Chika Offor, CEO of the Vaccine Network for Disease Control, lamented the significant decline in international funding, particularly from long-standing partners like USAID.
“The USAID funding is practically gone. This is a wake-up call. We must take ownership of our immunisation programme and begin to see vaccines as a smart investment, not just a health intervention,” she said.
Offor called for a shift in mindset among policymakers and health stakeholders, urging them to consider the broader economic value of immunisation. “Vaccines save lives and money. We need to assess how they affect other sectors, how they boost productivity, and how they reduce the burden on our healthcare system. The data is there. We just need to act on it.”
The European Union has also expressed concern over Nigeria’s shrinking fiscal space for health, particularly for immunisation, highlighting the risks of losing gains made in recent decades in disease prevention and child survival.
With donor support declining, stakeholders have emphasised the importance of domestic financing, innovative funding mechanisms, and evidence-based advocacy. Many agreed that Nigeria must now take the lead in safeguarding its immunisation program to prevent reversals in public health outcomes.
They called for urgent political will, stronger collaboration across sectors, and a renewed commitment to protecting the nation’s most vulnerable populations through sustainable immunisation financing.
“The findings from today’s discussions will inform our advocacy strategy. We must use this data to push for policies that prioritise immunisation and ensure no child is left behind,” Offor noted.
