VNDC Urges Sustainable Vaccine Financing As Nigeria Faces Post-donor Era Challenges

The Vaccine Network for Disease Control (VNDC) has called on the Federal Government and key stakeholders to urgently adopt a sustainable vaccine financing model to protect the nation’s immunisation gains, amid dwindling donor support and growing fiscal constraints.

VNDC CEO, Chika Offor, who made the call yesterday at a press conference in Abuja, lauded the Federal Government’s recent efforts, particularly the release of outstanding 2022 and 2023 vaccine funds and the allocation of 25 per cent of the 2024 vaccine budget.

She also commended the N231.7 billion earmarked in the 2025 budget for immunisation, malaria vaccination, and vaccine tracking.

“These are commendable steps but the sustainability of these gains is under threat. With the exit of USAID funding and shrinking donor contributions, Nigeria’s immunisation programmes are now more vulnerable than ever,” Offor said.

She urged the government to make vaccine financing a first-line charge in the national budget to ensure timely disbursement and avoid stockouts, warning that delays could reverse hard-won progress.
In the last two decades, Nigeria has made significant strides in immunisation, including the eradication of the wild poliovirus and the protection of over 30 million children under five. The country also achieved a

71 per cent coverage rate for the HPV vaccine, safeguarding more than 12 million girls.
However, Nigeria still ranks among the countries with the highest number of zero-dose children; those who have never received a routine vaccine.

The VNDC called on President Bola Tinubu to mandate the Ministry of Budget and National Planning to create a predictable and sustainable vaccine financing framework and asked the National Assembly to enshrine vaccine financing as a first-line budgetary charge.

It also urged state and local governments to allocate dedicated vaccine funds and ensure timely releases,while also calling on the Private Sector to support vaccine financing as a means of driving long-term economic growth through a healthier population.

The organisation also applauded President Tinubu’s N1 trillion investment in strengthening Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs), noting that stronger PHCs will translate to improved vaccine access and fewer zero-dose children.

Also speaking at the event, former senator and health advocate, Dr. Ibrahim Oloriegbe, emphasised that vaccine financing must extend beyond procurement to cover logistics, cold-chain maintenance, and last-mile delivery.

“Vaccines don’t walk themselves to health centers. The cold chain is critical. Vaccines must be stored at sub-zero temperatures and transported securely through multiple levels, from national to state, local governments, and finally to healthcare facilities,”:Oloriegbe noted.

He pointed out that while the federal government is primarily responsible for procurement and national-level storage, states and local governments must play their part in distribution and last-mile delivery. “Ideally, every local government should receive vaccines from the state store and ensure delivery to the facilities under their care,” he said, warning that lapses at any point in the chain can result in preventable child deaths.

Oloriegbe also stressed the need for local vaccine production, citing lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic when global supply chains froze. “We don’t need to produce all vaccines at once. Start with traditional ones like BCG and polio. Local production will reduce costs, create jobs, and ensure availability,” he said.

Using the measles vaccine as an example, Oloriegbe illustrated the dangers of delayed disbursement. “A child born today can’t wait for the next quarter to receive the BCG vaccine. Delay makes the vaccine useless,” he said, explaining that missed windows for immunisation leave children vulnerable to deadly diseases like measles, pertussis, and tetanus, which can also cause long-term complications such as blindness, deafness, and cognitive delays.