Nigeria gets Gavi’s $191m to boost health system, immunisation

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, has announced a new $191 million Health Systems Strengthening (HSS-3) grant to Nigeria aimed at improving immunisation coverage and reaching underserved populations.

The initiative targets 1.8 million zero-dose children, those who have never received any routine vaccines and aims to raise immunisation coverage to 84 per cent by 2028.

Dr Alex de Jonquières, Gavi’s Director of Health Systems and Immunisation Strengthening, made the announcement on Friday, May 2, 2025, in Abuja.

He described the grant as one of Gavi’s largest ever, emphasising its scale and significance.

He noted that it was the result of an inclusive planning process led by Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), state governments, development partners, and civil society.

“The investment will support health system expansion, particularly at the sub-national level.

“Nearly 80 per cent of the funds will be allocated to states, and more than 10 per cent will go directly to civil society organisations to reach the most underserved communities,” said de Jonquières.

He lauded Nigeria’s progress, citing more than 62 million children vaccinated, two million deaths averted, and the successful introduction of nine new vaccines, including those for HPV and malaria.

He added that Gavi had invested more than $2.4 billion in Nigeria since 2000.

“This support has enabled the renovation of 493 primary healthcare centres, recruitment of 3,683 health workers, and procurement of cold chain equipment and logistics vehicles to strengthen immunisation delivery,” he said.

However, de Jonquières also noted that Nigeria still bear the world’s highest burden of zero-dose children, calling for increased domestic investment, stronger accountability, and deeper collaboration.

“As we launch this new phase, we stand at a transformative moment. No child should die from a vaccine-preventable disease,” he said.

He also announced an additional 100 million dollars investment for a nationwide measles-rubella campaign in 2025, which aimed to protect more than 100 million children, Gavi’s largest campaign in Nigeria to date.

“This support aligns with Nigeria’s Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp) and broader health sector reforms to drive systemic improvements and sustainable progress in child health outcomes.”

Ms. Christian Munduate, UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, urged stakeholders to view health as a public investment rather than expenditure.