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Africa has also made tremendous progress in the fight against polio, recording a 93% decline in circulating variant poliovirus type 1 cases from 2023 to 2024 and a 65% decrease in variant poliovirus type 1 cases in just the past year
An increase in vaccine coverage in Africa is helping protect millions of people from life-threatening diseases such as measles, polio and cervical cancer.
In 2023, vaccination saved at least 1.8 million lives in the African region, nearly half the global figure of 4.2 million. These advancements have been possible thanks to government efforts and the support from partners including Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance (Gavi), UNICEF, World Health Organization (WHO) and others.
More than 5 million “zero-dose” children – children who have not received a single dose of an essential routine vaccine – in the African region have been vaccinated since 2024 through the “Big Catch-Up” initiative launched in 2023 in 24 priority countries to protect communities from vaccine-preventable outbreaks, save children’s lives and strengthen national health systems.
Despite a growing birth cohort between 2022 and 2023, the region recorded a two-percentage-point increase in the diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP3) immunization coverage among 1-year-olds, from 72% to 74%, an important sign of recovery in routine immunization services post-COVID-19. This progress means that amid a rising number of births, governments are vaccinating more children each year than ever before. Notable gains were seen in Cameroon, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique and Uganda.
In addition, more girls than ever are being protected against cervical cancer, a disease that kills a woman every two minutes worldwide. Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination coverage (one dose) has increased to 40% in 2023 up from 28% the year before – making Africa the region with the second highest coverage rate globally, empowering millions of girls to fulfil their potential.
Africa has also made tremendous progress in the fight against polio, recording a 93% decline in circulating variant poliovirus type 1 cases from 2023 to 2024 and a 65% decrease in variant poliovirus type 1 cases in just the past year.
This year, World Immunization Week/African Vaccination Week, which is being marked under the theme Immunization For All is Humanly Possible, aims to promote the life-saving power of immunization to protect people of all ages against vaccine-preventable diseases.
“We have made great progress in expanding vaccination and saving lives, thanks to the dedication of governments and partners. But we still have more ground to cover. We must sustain and expand these life-saving efforts to build a stronger, healthier future for all,” said Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, Acting WHO Regional Director for Africa.
Despite the progress, challenges persist in reaching children in the region. One in four children remain under-vaccinated (missing out on key routine vaccines) and one out of five children are unvaccinated, with many countries facing recurring outbreaks, particularly of measles – a highly contagious and potentially fatal disease. These gaps, which leave the region vulnerable, can be attributed to persistent barriers including limited access to healthcare in remote areas often due to conflict and instability, logistical and cold chain constraints, vaccine hesitancy driven by misinformation, and insufficient funding for immunization programs. These challenges are further compounded by disruptions caused by public health emergencies.
“The progress seen across African countries—bolstered by an unprecedented record of co-financing toward vaccine programmes in 2024 by African governments—demonstrates the tangible impact of sustained commitment,” said Thabani Maphosa, Chief Country Delivery Officer at Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. “However, this momentum must not stall. Conflict, population growth, displacement, and natural disasters are creating ideal conditions for outbreaks to emerge and spread. Investing in immunization and securing sufficient funding for Gavi to carry out its mission over the next five years is essential to protect our collective future.”
Building on the gains in Africa, Gavi has launched an ambitious five year strategy, ‘Gavi 6.0’ which is anchored on three key pillars: protecting the world against pandemics and disease outbreaks; protecting people by vaccinating more children against more diseases than ever before – including reaching 50 million children with the malaria vaccine by 2030; and protecting communities by reducing the number of zero-dose children.
A successful replenishment for Gavi will enable the Vaccine Alliance –a coalition of partners that includes 39 African governments – to implement this impactful 6.0 strategy and will enable countries to protect and advance the progress that has been made to date. Full engagement across the Alliance to obtain the necessary funding over the next few months will be critical. 2025 also marks the mid-point of the Immunization Agenda 2030, which aims to prevent diseases, promote equity and build strong immunization programmes.
To achieve these goals, African governments and partners are encouraged to accelerate progress towards reducing zero-dose children, increase routine immunisation coverage, accelerate malaria vaccine introductions and expand access to HPV vaccines. Maintaining the progress achieved in immunization over the years will also require regional commitment to implement key strategies.
These include increasing investment in health systems and infrastructure for effective vaccine delivery; enhancing surveillance systems to respond swiftly to outbreaks; addressing vaccine hesitancy and misinformation; bolstering domestic funding for immunization programmes; increasing the use of innovation and technology for better vaccine delivery; and investing in research and development for vaccine development.
In 2024, Gavi and partners launched the African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator (AVMA), a financing mechanism established to make up to US$ 1.2 billion available over ten years to accelerate the expansion of commercially viable vaccine manufacturing in Africa. Two new collaborations under this initiative were signed earlier this year, in a positive step towards enhanced regional health security.
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Lusaka — African health ministers and partners are calling for increased investment in integrated health services to address the growing burden of severe noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), particularly those affecting women and underserved populations across the region. At a high-level side event during the Seventy-fifth session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa, delegates emphasized the urgent need for equitable access to prevention, screening, treatment, and rehabilitation across the continuum of care for NCDs. Disparities are especially pronounced in rural areas, where health infrastructure and services remain inadequate. Breast and cervical cancers are among the leading causes of cancer-related deaths among women in sub-Saharan Africa—particularly cervical cancer, which is both preventable and treatable. It remains the most common cause of cancer death for women in the region. In 2022, Africa accounted for nearly a quarter (23%) of the 76 000 global cervical cancer deaths. Meanwhile, severe NCDs such as Type 1 diabetes, sickle cell disease, and heart conditions claim more than half a million lives annually, including among children, adolescents, and young adults in some of the continent’s poorest communities. Inequitable access to health services continues to hinder efforts to reduce this burden. To improve cervical and breast cancer care in the region, urgent investment is needed in leadership, governance, and financing. Strengthening these foundations is critical in the current funding landscape. Advancements in strategic planning, healthcare infrastructure, workforce training, and—most importantly—equitable access to screening, diagnostic, and treatment services are essential. To address these challenges, WHO and its partners showcased successful integrated models such as the Women’s Integrated Care for Cancer Services (WICS), the BEAT Breast Cancer Project, and the PEN-Plus Strategy. WICS strengthens early detection, treatment, and integration of women’s cancer services into primary health care systems in Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, and Zimbabwe. The BEAT Breast Cancer Project is a transformative multi-year initiative aimed at reducing breast cancer mortality among women in Tanzania and Ghana through early detection, timely diagnosis, and comprehensive treatment access. “PEN-Plus, WICS and the BEAT Breast Cancer Initiative are models for a new standard of care, rooted in equity, access and health justice. I urge countries to prioritize policies that embed these models into broader health system strengthening, said Dr Mohamed Janabi, WHO Regional Director for Africa”. Côte d’Ivoire offers a compelling example of progress, combining high HPV vaccination coverage—reaching over three million girls (91.4%)—with WICS-supported community-based screening campaigns to strengthen cervical cancer prevention. In Kenya, cervical cancer screening has been successfully integrated into national health services. “This gathering marks a pivotal moment to accelerate action for breast cancer prevention in Africa. We deeply value the leadership of the Ministries of Health of Ghana and Tanzania, and the steadfast support of the Pfizer Foundation in helping us achieve this milestone. The side event builds momentum for the policy prioritization of women’s cancers, partnerships to strengthen the broader women’s cancer ecosystem, and advance a health-systems approach to breast cancer prevention and management”, said Dr Somesh Kumar, Senior Director, Jhpiego. PEN-Plus expands access to care for severe NCDs at the district hospital level. Since its implementation, 20 countries in Africa have increased access to services for severe NCDs. Over 15 000 people are currently receiving treatment for chronic conditions such as sickle cell disease and Type 1 diabetes through PEN-Plus clinics.
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