The Rockefeller Foundation has announced the launch of the Vaccination Action Network to bolster health systems across sub-Saharan Africa, while scaling COVID-19 vaccine strategies.

The $7.4 million locally led, peer-to-peer learning initiative is focused on sharing lessons learned and best practices for boosting local demand for COVID-19 vaccines. The network is currently working with health ministries and NGOs in Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, and Uganda, with plans to expand to other countries in the region. The initiative is a collaboration between the foundation and the Sabin Vaccine Institute, Dalberg, and Amref Health Africa, which is administering subgrants to local organizations.

According to Rockefeller, only 20 percent of people in Africa have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, compared with 60 percent globally. While inequitable access to vaccines initially hindered vaccination campaigns across Africa, uptake is now primarily affected by complex delivery systems, limited access to vaccination centers, and ongoing demand barriers such as vaccine hesitancy and waning concerns about infection.

“One of our biggest takeaways…was that we needed to do more to engage communities with accurate and approachable information on COVID -19 vaccines, leaning on lessons learned from other health challenges such as HIV and Ebola,” said Mohammed Lamorde, head of global health security at Makerere University’s Infectious Diseases Institute in Uganda, a network partner. “That’s why our program focuses on working with trusted community members and leaders to equip them with the tools they need to encourage greater uptake of vaccines within their communities.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images/Mongkolchon Akesin)