‘Nigeria may not have money for immunization in 2017’

Nigeria may not have enough money for immunization next year, if the government does not increase the funding for it in the budget”, the Country leader of International Vaccine Access Centre, Dr Chizoba Wonodi has said. She stated this during a ministerial conference on immunisation in Africa held in Abuja. She said this year only […]

Nigeria may not have enough money for immunization next year, if the government does not increase the funding for it in the budget”, the Country leader of International Vaccine Access Centre, Dr Chizoba Wonodi has said.
She stated this during a ministerial conference on immunisation in Africa held in Abuja.
She said this year only four billion naira was budgeted for immunization.
 “Next year we need 43 billion, of which Gavi (Global Vaccine Alliance) is going to pay part. The federal government needs to come up with 12 billion naira next year and if government does not increase its budget allocation, there will be problem.  We may not have immunization go round,” Wonodi said.
Also speaking, Dr Yinka Adekugbe of Save the  Children called on government to commit funds and accelerate sustainable immunisation programme in Nigeria.
From 2017, the support from Gavi will start declining and in 2022 it will stop. Nigeria will start funding its own immunisation programme solely from 2022.