Africa has launched a comprehensive new vaccination strategy, focusing on local manufacturing, domestic financing, and community engagement to accelerate immunisation coverage amid mounting challenges and reliance on external aid.
Africa has reached a pivotal moment in its immunisation efforts. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has launched the Continental Immunisation Strategy 2026-2030, a plan intended to strengthen vaccination systems at a time when coverage is not keeping pace with population growth, outbreaks are worsening and external financing is under strain. According to Africa CDC, the strategy was co-developed with the African Union Commission, UNICEF, the World Health Organization, Gavi and PATH, and is designed to embed immunisation within stronger primary health care and epidemic-ready health systems.
The urgency is clear. Africa CDC and related reporting say about 7.1 million African children under the age of one missed routine vaccines in 2025, leaving a large cohort exposed to diseases that vaccination can prevent. The scale of the challenge is amplified by conflict, displacement, misinformation and weak delivery systems, while governments face rising debt costs and competing demands on limited budgets. The result is a growing gap between the continent’s immunisation ambitions and what health systems can reliably deliver.
Public health officials have long argued that vaccines are among the most effective investments in health, and the new strategy leans heavily on that logic. Africa CDC says the plan rests on six linked priorities: sustainable domestic financing, digital transformation, integration with primary health care, community engagement, local manufacturing and supply-chain resilience, and epidemic preparedness. The agency’s broader framework also emphasises reaching zero-dose children, improving accountability and using immunisation systems to support wider health security goals.
One of the clearest shifts is financial. Africa CDC says the continent cannot rely indefinitely on donor funding, especially as external assistance comes under pressure. The strategy therefore calls for stronger domestic financing so countries can plan vaccine purchases, cold-chain equipment, transport and workforce costs with greater certainty. That approach mirrors wider global immunisation thinking: Gavi’s own 2026-2030 strategy also stresses predictable funding, digitalisation and stronger accountability, underlining a broad push towards more resilient and self-sustaining vaccination systems.
The strategy also places unusual weight on community trust. Africa CDC’s separate social and behaviour change framework for immunisation says demand-generation work must become a core function rather than an afterthought, particularly where misinformation and repeated outbreaks have weakened confidence. In practical terms, that means working through trusted local actors, including community health workers, religious leaders and traditional authorities, while collecting behavioural evidence and funding engagement properly. The emphasis reflects a simple lesson: programmes succeed when families feel respected and informed, not merely instructed.
Another major aim is to reduce Africa’s dependence on imported vaccines. Africa CDC says the continent still sources about 99% of the vaccines it uses from elsewhere, making local manufacturing and regional procurement a strategic priority. The strategy is intended to support the African Union’s ambition to produce 60% of Africa’s vaccine needs locally by 2040, building on existing capacity in countries such as Senegal, South Africa, Egypt and Tunisia. For Africa CDC, the wider test of the plan is whether vaccination becomes routine across the life course, from infancy through adolescence, pregnancy and older age, and whether even children in remote or fragile settings can receive protection on time.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
