More than 40 years after the introduction of the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI), immunisation coverage remains low in many Nigerian states especially in the North, ultimately resulting in a high incidence of vaccine-preventable diseases and high child mortality rates. The poor immunisation coverage has been attributed to chronic system weaknesses, including inadequate and irregular government funding for the routine immunisation (RI) programme and inefficient management of available funds. The multipartite Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) between the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), Aliko Dangote Foundation (ADF), and each of six state governments in northern Nigeria (Bauchi, Borno, Kaduna, Kano, Sokoto and Yobe states) established a platform to drive sustainable funding of the RI programme through a basket funding mechanism. Read more