Immunisation stands as one of the most successful and cost-effective public health interventions globally, preventing an estimated 4.5 million deaths annually. Africa Vaccination Week (AVW) is a crucial annual initiative led by the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Africa, aiming to raise awareness of the importance of vaccination and to ensure equitable access to vaccines for all individuals across the continent. This year’s AVW, themed “Humanly Possible: Saving Lives Through Immunization,” underscores the potential to achieve greater immunisation coverage through collective action and sustained commitment. 

Against this backdrop, the Gavi CSO Constituency, in collaboration with PATH and WACI Health, convened a timely webinar to mobilize key stakeholders around immunisation financing, equity, and domestic resource mobilization. The session came at a critical juncture ahead of the 2025 Gavi Pledging Conference, as many African countries face shrinking fiscal space and growing uncertainty in global aid flows. 

Delivering the keynote, Dr. Bvudzai Magadzire—Civil Society Representative to the Gavi Board and Director of Partnerships at Village Reach—set the tone for the discussion by emphasizing the power of partnership and political will in advancing immunisation. She highlighted the staggering impact of vaccines: over 1 billion children immunized through Gavi-supported efforts and an estimated 51.2 million lives saved in Africa alone over the past 50 years. Dr. Magadzire also sounded the alarm on declining ODA and the implications for global health equity, noting that a fully funded Gavi 6.0 is not merely a financial goal but a global health imperative—representing the opportunity to reach 500 million additional children, save 9 million more lives, and bolster countries’ readiness for over 150 future outbreaks. 

Underscoring the importance of civil society, she stressed that community-driven organizations—especially youth- and women-led groups—are not only advocates for equity but key implementers of innovative solutions, particularly in fragile contexts. She called on governments to embed immunisation financing into national priorities and leverage existing instruments such as the Abuja Declaration and Lusaka Agenda to enhance accountability and regional cooperation. 

This webinar provided a platform for civil society leaders, government representatives, regional bodies, and technical experts to reflect on lessons learned, share country experiences, and propose actionable strategies for sustainable immunisation financing in Africa. 

The webinar had several core objectives: 

1. To Spotlight the impact of inadequate immunisation financing and advocate for Gavi 6.0 replenishment 
2. To examine the impact of the shift in ODA and ongoing domestic resource mobilization (DRM) efforts for immunisation 
3. To Share learnings and innovative approaches to address existing financing gaps 
4. To explore the role of advocacy in advancing Africa’s immunisation agenda. 
5. To Foster multisectoral collaboration to drive collective action in closing immunisation financing gaps. 

Immunisation is a cornerstone of public health, preventing millions of deaths each year. The webinar took place at a critical juncture, with the global immunisation landscape facing complex challenges. Shrinking fiscal space in many African countries, combined with threats to global aid, has created an urgent need for innovative and sustainable financing solutions. The COVID-19 pandemic further strained health systems and disrupted immunisation services, highlighting the importance of resilient and adaptable strategies. The webinar also took place in the context of the upcoming Gavi pledging summit in June 2025. A fully funded Gavi 6.0 represents a commitment to immunize 500 million more children, potentially saving 9 million lives, and strengthening health systems in over 50 countries. It is also considered the largest proposed investment Gavi has ever made in health security, with the capacity to equip countries for more than 150 outbreak responses. 

The panel discussion was a central component of the webinar, providing diverse, high-level perspectives on sustaining and strengthening immunisation financing in Africa. Moderated by Ms. Wanjiku Mungai, Regional Advocacy and Policy Advisor at PATH, the session featured four expert panelists representing regional institutions, national government, global alliances, and advocacy organizations. Each speaker was invited to respond to a specific thematic question reflecting their area of expertise. 

Prof. Julio Rakotonirina 

Director for Health and Humanitarian Affairs, African Union Commission 
Prof. Rakotonirina addressed the question of how African countries can maintain progress on immunisation financing in the face of shrinking fiscal space. He emphasized the importance of leveraging regional policy frameworks such as the Abuja Declaration and the Lusaka Agenda to guide national commitments. He acknowledged the gap between policy adoption and implementation and called for enhanced intergovernmental coordination, especially between the ministries of health and finance. He also highlighted the AU’s role in promoting regional accountability and supporting member states in domestic resource mobilization for immunisation. 

Dr. Mustafe Jama 

Director of Family Health, Ministry of Health and Human Services, Somalia 
Dr. Jama spoke on Somalia’s experience sustaining immunisation financing within a fragile and resource-constrained environment. He highlighted the establishment of the Somalia Immunisation and Polio Task Force, chaired by the Prime Minister, as a significant demonstration of political commitment. He detailed the country’s efforts to integrate immunisation into the essential package of health services, engage with the Ministry of Finance to mobilize domestic resources, and align donor support through the “One Plan, One Budget, One Monitoring Framework” approach. He also noted Somalia’s efforts to reach displaced and zero-dose populations through outreach and mobile vaccination teams. 

Mr. Jonas Mbwangue 

Associate Director for Immunisation, Global Health Advocacy Incubator 
Mr. Mbwangue was invited to share civil society strategies that have been most effective in advancing immunisation financing. He emphasized the importance of equipping civil society organizations (CSOs) with evidence-based tools—such as national immunisation costing data—to support budget advocacy. He stressed the value of sustained engagement with national parliaments and ministries of finance and pointed to successful examples from countries like Nigeria and Kenya where targeted advocacy led to increased domestic financing. He also underscored the need for accountability mechanisms to track budget execution and ensure commitments translate into service delivery. 

Ms. Keightley Reynolds 

Senior Manager, Immunisation Financing and Sustainability, Gavi 
Ms. Reynolds provided insights into Gavi’s evolving approach to co-financing under its upcoming strategy period (Gavi 6.0). She explained that countries face varying constraints—from limited revenue generation to inefficient budget execution—and that tailored solutions are required. She outlined key adjustments in Gavi’s policies, including revised eligibility thresholds, co-financing caps for countries in prolonged transition, and specific provisions for fragile states and small island countries. She emphasized that Gavi’s approach remains rooted in country ownership and the engagement of civil society to support transparency, advocacy, and accountability. 

Panel Reflections 

In a final round, each panelist was invited to share a single key message for advancing immunisation financing: 

Dr. Mustafe Jama emphasized the need for political leadership and a clear understanding within government of the economic value and return on investment of immunisation. 

Mr. Jonas Mbwangue called for strengthened partnerships between civil society and government, particularly with ministries of finance, to ensure joint planning and policy influence. 

Ms. Keightley Reynolds urged actors to make evidence-driven and specific financial requests to ministries of finance to increase the credibility and impact of advocacy efforts. 

Prof. Julio Rakotonirina highlighted that investment in immunisation is an investment in national development, stressing that healthy populations are a prerequisite for economic growth and stability. 

The panel concluded with a unified message: that sustainable immunisation financing in Africa will depend on coordinated action across sectors, anchored in strong political will, empowered civil society, and effective regional mechanisms for accountability, that is, the need for governments to prioritize immunisation financing, for donors to align their funding with national priorities, for civil society organizations to advocate for increased resources and engage communities, and for organizations like Gavi and the African Union to provide leadership and support. 

Wambui Munge, Senior Communications Manager, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, provided a crucial update on Gavi’s Replenishment Campaign. She outlined an ambitious goal to raise $9 billion for the 2026–2030 period, emphasizing that these funds are vital for expanding global health security, developing and deploying climate-resilient vaccines, and significantly scaling up the rollout of the groundbreaking new malaria vaccine. 

Wambui highlighted Gavi’s remarkable efficiency and impact, noting that an impressive 97% of all funds raised go directly to programs. This underscores Gavi’s commitment to maximizing direct impact on the ground. She also celebrated a key achievement: 19 countries have successfully transitioned to self-financing their immunization programs, demonstrating Gavi’s long-term strategy of building sustainable health systems. 

Concluding her presentation, Wambui issued a clear call to action, urging Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to play a proactive role. She stressed the importance of CSOs advocating vigorously for strong donor commitments well in advance of the critical June 2025 summit, where pledges for Gavi’s next funding cycle will be made. 

The webinar concluded with a set of concrete action items: 

• Governments: Prioritize immunisation financing in national budgets, strengthen health systems, and improve data collection and monitoring. 

• Donors: Align funding with national priorities, support innovative financing mechanisms, and ensure sustainable funding for immunisation programs. 

• Civil Society Organizations: Actively participate in immunisation program design and implementation, advocate for increased resources, and engage communities to build trust in vaccines. 

• Gavi: Secure full funding for Gavi 6.0, support countries in domestic resource mobilization, and strengthen health systems. 

• African Union: Continue to provide leadership and guidance on immunisation financing and program implementation.