Nigeria requires one billion dollars over the next five years to sustain its immunisation gains, the Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Muyi Aina has said.
He disclosed this at the Multi-stakeholders’ Technical Workshop on Optimising a Sustainable Immunisation Financing Model in Nigeria 2.0, held on Wednesday in Abuja.
Nigeria’s immunisation financing model is built on a collaborative approach involving the federal, state, and local governments, with the federal government leading the funding of routine immunisations.
Dr. Aina stressed that although significant progress has been made in immunisation coverage, financing remains a critical bottleneck.
He revealed that only 21 percent of the allocated vaccine funds for 2024 have been released, raising concerns about Nigeria’s ability to maintain its immunisation momentum.
“We need one billion dollars over the next five years to secure vaccines for our population. But with less than a quarter of this year’s budget released, we are at risk of reversing hard-won gains,” he warned.
Despite the funding gaps, the NPHCDA boss highlighted major achievements in 2024, including reaching three million zero-dose children, vaccinating 14 million girls against cervical cancer, administering 91 million vaccine doses, and operationalising over 10,000 cold chain units across the country.
Dr. Aina emphasized that immunisation is not solely the responsibility of the Federal Government but a national obligation for the benefit of children, families, and the future health system.
The workshop gathered stakeholders from across the health sector to discuss sustainable strategies for funding immunisation, especially as Nigeria transitions from Gavi support.
The government is making efforts to allocate available resources more efficiently, focusing on primary health care and preventive services.
To close future funding gaps, Nigeria is exploring alternative revenue sources such as specific taxes and innovative financing mechanisms.
The discussions underscored the importance of domestic resource mobilisation, stronger accountability frameworks, and collaboration among federal, state, and local governments.
Funding for immunisation services in Nigeria is a collective responsibility shared by all tiers of government, guided by statutory budgetary allocations.
The federal government primarily leads in financing routine immunisation, especially through co-financing vaccine procurement via the NPHCDA, while Gavi provides substantial financial support for vaccines and plays a key role in boosting immunisation coverage nationwide.
Nigeria is actively working towards reducing its reliance on donor support by strengthening domestic resource mobilisation for immunisation financing.
Building a sustainable immunisation financing model will require a multi-sectoral approach that includes public investment, private sector participation, community engagement, and legal safeguards.
Experts at the event noted that without adequate funding, even the most effective vaccines will not reach those who need them most, and that sustainability must be at the heart of Nigeria’s immunisation financing.
