By Francesca Hangeior

Nigeria faces an annual funding gap of $200m for immunisation, Director General of the Budget Office, Dr. Tanimu Yakubu, revealed on Wednesday.

Speaking at the Multi-Stakeholders Technical Workshop for the Optimisation of Immunisation Financing in Nigeria, organised by the Vaccine Network for Disease Control in partnership with GAVI and the Global Health Advocacy Initiative, Yakubu emphasised the need for increased public sector funding to address the financial gaps in immunisation.

“Nigeria faces an annual funding gap of $200m out of the required $580m for immunisation. However, considering the public sector’s contribution of only $150m, the actual funding gap is more significant,” Yakubu said.

He noted that without international donors like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Global Health Advocacy Incubator, the gap would be $430m, highlighting the country’s reliance on external aid.

“I urge the public sector to increase its financial contribution to justify asking the private sector to do more,” Yakubu added.

The DG Budget Office also proposed legislation to mandate the public sector to achieve self-sufficiency in vaccine production, storage, and distribution logistics, aligning with the current administration’s goals of import substitution, medical industrialisation, and general industrialisation.

To address the funding gap, Yakubu recommended bridging the $200m deficit through increased public sector funding, prioritising the actual funding gap of $430m, and leveraging public-private partnerships to establish local vaccine production infrastructure.

“By taking these steps, we can ensure sustainable immunisation financing and protect our population from future pandemics,” he stressed.

The Chairman of the 9th Senate Committee on Health, Sen. Ibrahim Oloriegbe, has noted the importance of prioritising immunisation in Nigeria’s budget allocation.

Speaking at the event, Oloriegbe noted that “Immunisation is not only a health issue but also an economic and security issue. Investing in immunisation can save lives, reduce healthcare costs, and increase productivity.”

He highlighted the need to address the funding gap for immunisation, which currently stands at $200m, and proposed increasing funding for immunisation in the budget, exploring ways to increase revenue generation, and reactivating the bio-vaccine initiative to achieve self-sufficiency in vaccine production.

“Legislators have a critical role to play in ensuring that immunisation receives adequate funding. We must work together to prioritise immunisation and make it a national priority,” Oloriegbe said.

He also recommended removing counterpart funding for vaccines from the current supply chain and prioritising immunisation in budget allocation.

“Let’s work together to make immunisation a national priority and ensure that our citizens receive the necessary vaccines to prevent diseases,” Oloriegbe added.

Also speaking at the event, the Nigeria Coordinator for the Global Health Advocacy Incubator, Dr Emmanuel Hassan, stated that Nigeria is facing a critical vaccine immunisation financing crisis, with outstanding obligations from 2023 still unpaid and the 2024 payment due in June yet to be made.

Hassan urged decision-makers to take immediate action to settle the outstanding payments, emphasising the importance of prioritising health despite the country’s fiscal challenges.

“Health is a crucial aspect of our nation’s wealth, and immunisation is a key pathway to enhancing the health and well-being of all Nigerians,” Dr Hassan said.

The Deputy Chairman of the Senate Committee on Primary Health Care and Disease Control, Sen. Tony Nwoye, also called on the federal government to release counterpart funding for immunisation programmes to address the inadequate funding hindering Nigeria’s fight against vaccine-preventable diseases.