Liberia needs about US$7.2 million for immunization next year, but its vaccine budget line has long sat near US$500,000. Under Gavi 6.0, the Government of Liberia now pays 60 percent of the cost of Gavi-supported vaccines.

On One Shot, Long Life!, host Abel Akara Ticha of the Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI) talks with Hon. Julie Fatorma Wiah (chair, Joint Primary Health Care and Immunization Caucus), Emmanuel Tieh Delamy (GHAI country coordinator, Liberia) and Joyce Kilikpo (executive director, Public Health Initiative Liberia, or PHIL).

Quick FAQ

What is vaccine co-financing? Co-financing is the share of each Gavi-supported vaccine that a country buys from its own budget. Under Gavi's co-financing policy, that share rises with national income. Liberia paid its full 2025 share, about US$511,000, plus US$200,000 early toward 2026.

How is Liberia protecting immunization money? An Act of the Legislature created Liberia's immunization caucus. Section 10 of the draft Public Health Law would set up a statutory Immunization Trust Fund. “A law outlives any minister and creates a duty, not just a wish,” says Joyce Kilikpo of PHIL.

Why is spending the money the next test? A PHIL fiscal gap analysis found vaccine budget execution near 42 percent from 2020 to 2024. “Money on paper is not money in the clinic,” says GHAI's Emmanuel Tieh Delamy. Payment sign-offs have since dropped from 18 layers to five.

Also covered: PHIL scorecards that ended hidden vaccine fees in 42 facilities, higher tobacco taxes and County Development Fund support.