Accra: Civil Society Organisations and Global Health Advocates have sounded the alarm over Ghana’s delay in fulfilling its vaccine co-financing obligations, warning that such procrastination could result in vaccine shortages and pose a significant threat to children’s health. They are urging immediate government intervention to meet the country’s 2025 immunisation commitments.
According to Ghana News Agency, during a media sensitisation workshop held in Accra, Mrs. Cecilia Senoo, Executive Director of Hope for Future Generations (HFFG), highlighted the critical need for the government and stakeholders to prioritise vaccine financing. She stressed that any delay in contributions to the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations (GAVI) could have severe repercussions. “We cannot build a future for our children without addressing the present, and immunisation is the most cost-effective public health intervention. Yet many of our children remain at risk because vaccines are unavailable,” she stated.
Mrs. Se
noo shared a poignant story of a traditional leader who lost a child to measles due to a vaccine stockout, emphasizing, “It is something we should never allow to happen again.” She added that Ghana must fulfill its financial commitments to GAVI to ensure the procurement of vaccines, asserting, “If we do not, GAVI cannot procure vaccines for us, and this means our children will die.”
Currently, Ghana is in GAVI’s accelerated transition phase, tasked with financing 50 per cent of its vaccine needs, while the Alliance covers the remaining half. The country is expected to achieve full vaccine self-financing by 2030. Mr. Stephen Atasige, Country Coordinator of the Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI), pointed out that despite the government’s removal of the cap on the National Health Insurance Levy (NHIL), the primary domestic source for vaccine funding, bureaucratic delays persist in releasing the necessary funds.
He warned that procurement timelines require countries to make payments by the first quarter of
each year. “We are now in the second quarter of 2025, and Ghana has still not paid its co-financing obligations of $16.3 million to GAVI. This could lead to stockouts,” he cautioned. Mr. Atasige proposed alternative funding mechanisms, such as earmarked taxes, vaccine trust funds, and vaccine bonds, citing their successful implementation in countries like Senegal.
Ghana’s vaccine roadmap, developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and partners, outlines clear strategies for achieving self-sufficiency. “What is needed now is strong political will and proactive financing,” Mr. Atasige emphasized. He called for immediate action to overcome bureaucratic hurdles in fund disbursement.
The workshop participants advocated for a concerted national effort involving government, civil society, media, and the private sector to drive urgent vaccine financing advocacy. Mr. Atasige highlighted that vaccines are not merely another health commodity but essential life-saving interventions. He urged the government
to consider advance payments for future vaccine procurements to avoid bureaucratic delays and prevent last-minute shortages.
The delay in Ghana’s 2025 contribution, which constitutes only five per cent of GAVI-supported vaccine procurement, could significantly disrupt the country’s immunisation programme. The Hope for Future Generations (HFFG), a civil society organisation dedicated to the welfare of children, women, and youth, has been implementing a five-year project called Financing Immunisation Advocacy Response (FAIR). The initiative seeks to enhance domestic resource mobilisation and accountability to reach zero-dose children and expand immunisation coverage.
HFFG has engaged policymakers, private sector partners, traditional leaders, and communities to further its objectives and is now urging the media to raise awareness and underscore the importance of the government meeting its co-financing obligations to safeguard children and future generations.