Vaccination rates are falling in Africa, but a new strategy aims to turn things around. Five things it needs to get right

Africa has reached an important moment in its immunisation journey.

Coverage is not rising fast enough to keep pace with population growth, persistent inequities and a growing number of vaccines.

At the same time, outbreaks and financing pressures are intensifying.

Vaccination has transformed child survival.

A landmark analysis found that global immunisation efforts have saved at least 154 million lives over the past 50 years, 52 million in Africa .

Vaccines have virtually eliminated meningitis A epidemics and eradicated wild poliovirus from Africa.

But progress has slowed.

In 2025, about 7.1 million African children (15.6% of those under a year old) did not receive even a single routine vaccine dose .

Measles and other vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks are increasing , driven by immunity gaps, conflict, displacement and vaccine hesitancy.

Meanwhile, donor budgets are under pressure from competing global crises.

And rising debt-service costs are squeezing government spending on health.

Against this backdrop, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has launched the Continental Immunisation Strategy 2026-2030 .

It covers six areas: financing and political commitment data and digital systems life-course vaccination integrated with primary healthcare community engagement vaccine manufacturing and supply emergency preparedness and epidemic-ready immunisation systems.

We are immunisation practitioners, researchers and advisers who contributed to the strategy’s development and now support its implementation.