The Federal Government said the country is grappling with a yearly $200 million funding gap, which poses a threat to the sustainability and effectiveness of the immunisation programme.
The Director-General, Budget Office, Mr. Tanimu Yakubu, disclosed this during a multi-stakeholder forum organised by the Vaccine Network for Disease Control (VNDC) on National Immunization Funding, meant to address delays in the release of appropriated funds and foster collaboration among stakeholders.
This forum was part of the organisation’s Partnership to Reach Zero-Dose Children’ (PREACH) project, funded by GAVI through the Global Health Advocacy Initiative (GHAI). It drew representatives from the Federal Ministries of Finance, Health, Budget and Planning, the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, and House and Senate Committees.
Yakubu said the government has significantly increased its budgetary allocation for immunisation programmes and services in the 2024 proposed budget as part of efforts to address the immunisation gap in the country.
In the 2024 budget, about N137 billion was allocated to immunisation programmes including counterpart funding, procurement of Routine Immunisation (RI) vaccines, devices, operational cost, and distribution among others, which represents about a 100 per cent increase from the N69 billion allocated to immunisation programmes in 2023.
There has been a significant delay in the release of funds allocated for immunization in Nigeria since 2021. In 2023, N44.7 billion out of the N69 billion allocated remains unreleased, while the 2024 immunization budget is yet to be approved.
Yakubu said: “The funding gap for immunisation programmes is a significant challenge that must be addressed urgently. We cannot afford to leave our citizens vulnerable to vaccine-preventable diseases.
“We still have a yearly funding gap of $200million. Without the financial contribution of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, GAVI, UNICEF, and other international donors, the actual funding gap is $430 million.
Yakubu stressed the need for the public sector to increase its financial contribution to immunisation programmes, adding that the country cannot rely solely on international donors to bridge the funding gap.
He also emphasised the need for legislation that requires the country to attain self-sufficiency in the local production and distribution of vaccines.
While pledging to close the funding and capability gaps, Yakubu said the Federal Ministry of Health is actively working to enhance the country’s industrial capacity to produce a full range of immunisation vaccines domestically.
“This initiative is part of a broader medical industrialisation programme aimed at achieving self-sufficiency through an import substitution strategy,” he said.
Speaking, the Chairman Senate Committee on Primary Health and Communicable Diseases, Senator İbrahim Lamido, called on the Federal Government to release its counterpart funding for immunization programmes in the country.
The lawmaker lamented that Nigeria is one of the countries with the highest number of unvaccinated children and has a high risk of having children whose growth is affected physically and mentally.
Lamido urged the Federal Government to turn its commitments into action, stating that the funding is critical to sustaining Gavi support, ensuring vaccine availability, strengthening health systems and protecting vulnerable populations.
Lamido noted that releasing counterpart funding demonstrates Nigeria’s dedication to its people’s health and well-being, insisting that vaccines should be produced locally.
He observed that Nigeria’s future depends on a healthy population and appealed to the stakeholders to act now to secure and safeguard the country’s health.
Lamido also stressed the need for the executive and the legislature to work together to bridge funding gaps, enhance immunization coverage, strengthen accountability and ensure sustainable financing.
Former chairman, Senate Committee on Health, Senator Ibrahim Oloriegbe, urged the National Assembly to prioritise funding for immunisation and primary health care through effective appropriation.
Oloriegbe said proper funding for vaccines and immunisation will not only address health issues as it has significant economic and security benefits.
He called for strategic allocation of resources to ensure sustainability by making vaccine counterpart funding a first-line charge, similar to the basic health care provision fund. Oloriegbe stressed that this will ultimately save costs in the long run, and enhance productivity and demographic management.
Earlier, the Chief Executive Officer, Vaccine Network for Disease Control, Chika Ofor, said that vaccines are crucial for child survival, hence the need to ensure vaccine availability.
She noted that Nigeria needs funding to purchase vaccines and called for increased budgetary allocation for immunisation in the country.
Offor said the high-level meeting provided a platform to discuss the financial shortfall and the administration’s commitment to addressing the various gaps in financing, industrial capacity, logistics, and storage.
She observed that the government’s commitment offers hope to overcome its current hurdles and establish a more sustainable immunization programme. “The ongoing efforts and international support are crucial to Nigeria’s goal of achieving independent vaccine production, and significantly improving public health outcomes across the country,” she said.
On his part, the Chairman, Health System Reform Coalition of Nigeria (HSRCN), Dr Mustapha Lecky, emphasised the critical impact of vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs) on children under five.
“The economic and generational loss caused by children’s deaths underscores the broader implications of these preventable deaths on Nigeria’s economy and future generations,” he said.
He stressed the importance of improving surveillance systems; laboratory networks, vaccine procurement, and administration to enhance immunisation coverage and prevent deaths.
