Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, has announced a $191 million Health Systems Strengthening (HSS-3) grant to Nigeria in a major push to improve immunisation coverage.
The initiative aims to reach 1.8 million “zero-dose” children who have never received a single vaccine.
NAN reports that Dr Alex de Jonquières, Gavi’s director of Health Systems and Immunisation Strengthening, made the announcement on Friday in Abuja.
He said the funding is one of the largest ever issued by the global vaccine alliance. The initiative aims to raise Nigeria’s immunisation coverage to 84 percent by 2028, while also targeting systemic weaknesses that leave millions of children unprotected against preventable diseases.
The director noted that it was the result of an inclusive planning process led by the 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,” he said.
“Nearly 80 per cent of the funds will be allocated to states, and more than 10 percent will go directly to civil society organisations to reach the most underserved communities.”
The grant comes amid persistent disparities in vaccine access across Nigeria, where poor infrastructure, limited healthcare access in rural areas, and underfunded public health programmes continue to hinder progress.
Although Gavi has invested more than $2.4 billion in Nigeria since 2000, and supported the introduction of nine new vaccines, including for HPV and malaria, de Jonquières acknowledged the country still bears the world’s highest burden of zero-dose children.
He praised Nigeria’s achievements, citing over 62 million children vaccinated and two million deaths averted, but warned that progress will stall without stronger accountability and domestic investment.
“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.
“As we launch this new phase, we stand at a transformative moment. No child should die from a vaccine-preventable disease.”
In addition to the HSS-3 grant, Gavi announced $100 million for a nationwide measles-rubella campaign in 2025, aimed at reaching over 100 million children in Nigeria.
The programme is aligned with Nigeria’s ongoing Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp) reforms to restructure the health system, with a focus on sustainability and inclusive service delivery.
Dr Walter Mulombo, World Health Organisation (WHO) representative in Nigeria, stressed the importance of strengthening the country’s health system through a rights-based approach grounded in governance, transparency, and partnerships.
Mulombo highlighted key areas requiring urgent attention, including the reduction of zero-dose children, expanding malaria and HPV vaccination programmes, and introducing the measles-rubella vaccine.
With implementation scheduled from 2025 to 2028, the HSS-3 initiative aims to fill longstanding resource gaps, bolster leadership capacity, and improve healthcare access for women and children in Nigeria’s underserved regions.
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