The Aliko Dangote Foundation (ADF) has signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with global health partners to strengthen routine immunisation in Chad.
According to a press statement signed and issued by Anthony Chiejina and was made available to journalists in Lokoja, on Thursday, other partners who sealed the milestone agreement include: the Gates Foundation, GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and the Government of Chad.
Chiejina said that the historic MoU will help the Government of Chad to strengthen routine immunisation across the country’s 13 provinces over the next three years, building on an initial agreement signed in 2019 which covered 3 provinces.
Zouera Youssoufou, managing director/CEO, Aliko Dangote Foundation, signed the MoU on behalf of the foundation.
The statement equally disclosed that Youssoufou emphasized the importance of collaboration and sustained investment in health systems to protect every child in Chad.
“This partnership is a powerful demonstration of what can be achieved when governments, development partners, and philanthropic organizations unite for a common goal. By strengthening routine immunisation and working to eradicate polio, we are giving children in Chad the chance to live healthier, more productive lives.
“The three -year initiative will support the Government of Chad to increase routine immunisation coverage, particularly in underserved and hard -to-reach areas; mobilize resources and technical expertise to interrupt any remaining transmission of the polio virus; and enhance disease surveillance, health worker training, and vaccine supply chains”.
Others are to promote community engagement using Community Reorientation Women Network initiative for demand generation for immunisation services and build sustainable local capacity to maintain high immunisation coverage beyond the duration of the MoU.
The Government of Chad was represented by Allamaye Halina, Prime Minister, Abdelmadjid Abderahim, Minister of Public Health, among others.
Prime Minister Halina underscored Chad’s commitment to achieving universal immunisation coverage and eliminating preventable childhood diseases.
Sania Nishtar, CEO of GAVI, who joined the meeting virtually from Geneva said: “We would like to congratulate the government of Chad for the immense achievement with the previous MoU and the increases that has been recorded in vaccination coverages particularly with the reduction in zero dose children from 45 percent in 2017 to 16 percent in 2024.”
Chris Elias, president of Global Development of the Gates Foundation, said that the new MoU is a vehicle to achieve the ambitions of the new Chadian 2025-2030 National Immunization Strategy, particularly to set the country on the path to achieving the 80% vaccination coverage target in Penta 3 from the current 67% coverage.
He said: “At the Gates Foundation, we reaffirm our commitment to the government of Chad to help it deliver its National Immunization Strategy by providing a financing commitment of $3 million USD over the three years which will resource both the MoU implementation and the vaccination coverage survey”.
