Nigeria Spends $150m Annually on Vaccines, Says NPHCD

• 1,256,791 children received malaria vaccine in 4 states

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

The federal government has said that Nigeria is spending approximately $150 million to procure vaccine annually

It said that immunisation coverage is currently being scaled up with the expansion of malaria vaccination to more states.

According to statistics reeled out by the Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Muyi Aina, on Tuesday, during the agency’s first quarterly media briefing for 2026 in Abuja, a total of 984,559 children have received at least one dose in Kebbi and Bayelsa, while Ondo recorded about 166,342 vaccination and Bauchi about 105,890.

Speaking on vaccine procurement, Aina said the federal government has been spending $150 million to purchase vaccines annually

According to Aina, funding for vaccines is sourced from federal government allocations and development partners, particularly Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, noting that donor support is gradually declining.

“Countries are now expected to increase domestic financing as global donor resources continue to shrink,” he said.

He explained that vaccine financing covers procurement, outbreak-response vaccines such as cholera, as well as logistics including syringes, waste management systems, incinerators, and cold chain equipment.

According to him, operational costs for nationwide immunisation delivery also form a significant part of government investment.

The NPHCDA boss said that Nigeria has expanded its malaria vaccine rollout from two pilot states, Bayelsa State and Kebbi State, to include Bauchi State and Ondo State, based on readiness assessments.

He noted the malaria vaccine requires a four-dose schedule, which presents challenges in ensuring full compliance.

“What is unique about the malaria vaccine is that it requires four doses, and ensuring children return for all doses remains a key challenge,” he said.

Aina explained that the dropouts between doses have prompted the government to strengthen tracking and follow-up systems.

Giving updates on vaccine stock and utilisation, he said about 600,000 doses are currently stored in the national cold chain system.

He said Bayelsa has recorded about 68,000 doses administered, Kebbi 153,000, Bauchi 66,000, and Ondo over 7,000 doses.

On coverage, the NPHCDA boss said a total of 984,559 children have received at least one dose in Kebbi and Bayelsa, while Ondo recorded about 166,342 children and Bauchi about 105,890.

“This brings the total number of children reached to almost one million,” he said.

Beyond immunisation, he said 48,372 women have accessed free maternal services nationwide, while about 2,497 women have benefited from obstetric fistula repair services coordinated through federal facilities and the National Health Insurance Authority.

He described the programme as critical in restoring dignity and improving the quality of life for affected women.

He also described vaccines as one of the safest and most cost-effective medical interventions available.

“Vaccines are much safer and much cheaper than most medicines people buy in stores or use for malaria treatment,” he said.

According to him, vaccines are highly effective in preventing diseases such as measles, noting that their success often leads to reduced visibility of such diseases in communities.

On accountability and integrity index, the Executive Director said that NPHCDA is currently rated at the 17th position by the Independent Corrupt Practices & Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).