Ministerial Conference on Immunization in Africa
TOWARD UNIVERSAL IMMUNIZATION COVERAGE AS A CORNERSTONE FOR HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA
February 24-25 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
African leaders—including health and finance ministers—will come together in Addis Ababa, making the conference a powerful platform for governments to demonstrate their commitment to expanding access to vaccines across the continent. The event will also bring together advocates, technical experts, policymakers, donors and journalists to examine how best to drive forward immunization across Africa, ensuring every child has access to the vaccines they need.

Universal access to immunization is at the forefront of enabling Africa to reach its full potential – by improving health, driving economic growth and empowering future generations. Immunization is one of the most cost-effective solutions in global health, with clear benefits for health and development. Vaccines are a major reason child deaths in Africa fell by more than half between 1990 to 2012, saving millions of lives. Immunization brings economic benefits too, reducing health care costs and increasing productivity.

The conference will be hosted by the World Health Organization’s Regional Offices for Africa and for the Eastern Mediterranean in conjunction with the African Union, reflecting the breadth of desire across the continent to drive improvements in access to immunization…