UBA pledges $1.5m to support Gavi’s immunisation programmes in Nigeria

UBA and Gavi are partnering to raise awareness on immunization across Africa starting from Nigeria

An Africa-wide partnership starting from Nigeria has been announced by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and the UBA Foundation, the Corporate Social Responsibility arm of the United Bank for Africa Group.

In a statement made available to healthnews.africa, both entities said they are working together to strengthen health systems and raise awareness of immunisation across Africa, starting in 2018 with Nigeria.

“We are delighted to work with the UBA Foundation to help protect children across Nigeria against some of the world’s deadliest diseases,” said Dr Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi the Vaccine Alliance. “Strong, sustainable health systems are key to ensuring no child misses out on lifesaving vaccines which is why this partnership will make a real difference, reducing child mortality and helping to meet the Sustainable Development Goals in 2030.”

The partnership with the UBA Foundation aims to raise US$1.5 million over the next two years by leveraging UBA’s network of partners to support Gavi’s immunisation programmes in Nigeria. The UBA Foundation will also advocate for immunisation in Nigeria, which has one of the lowest vaccine coverage rates in the world.

“The United Bank for Africa and the UBA Foundation have been impacting lives positively in Nigeria and across the African continent for several decades, and this is another opportunity to make a difference in the lives of millions of Africans,” said Kennedy Uzoka, UBA Group CEO and Chairman of the UBA Foundation. “We are proud of the partnership with Gavi which will run until the end of 2020, with both institutions focused on the overall aim to provide innovative solutions that can increase the capacity of healthcare systems in Nigeria and across Africa.”

In the last five years over 14 million children in Nigeria have been vaccinated against some of the world’s deadliest diseases with support from Gavi. If Nigeria meets its targets for vaccine coverage, it will be able to prevent at least one million deaths by 2028.

“However, Nigeria needs to invest more domestic resources in health and immunisation,” said Dr Berkley. ”The private sector can be a crucial partner to help leverage expertise and provide new solutions to ensure children across Nigeria have the opportunity to lead long, healthy lives.”