Gavi and World Bank Launch US$2B Partnership to Boost Immunization and Health Systems

World Bank Group President Ajay Banga highlighted the value of a robust health system in driving economic and social progress.

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and the World Bank Group have announced a major expansion of their partnership to strengthen immunization financing, reinforce primary healthcare systems, and support regional vaccine manufacturing in Africa. The collaboration aims to mobilize at least US$2 billion over the next five years, aligning investments with country-led priorities to build resilient, self-sustaining health systems.

The initiative represents a strategic effort to help low- and lower middle-income countries transition away from reliance on external support and toward long-term sustainable financing for essential health services.

Stronger Health Systems to Reach 1.5 Billion People by 2030

World Bank Group President Ajay Banga highlighted the value of a robust health system in driving economic and social progress. “Our partnership with Gavi is an important step toward achieving our goal of delivering quality health services to 1.5 billion people by 2030,” he said. “Strengthening health systems provides more than better care. These efforts will create jobs, boost economic growth, and build long-term resilience across the health sector.”

To reach this target, the World Bank Group is scaling investments that improve essential primary care, expand health workforce capacity, and support innovations that reduce service delivery gaps. Within the initiative’s first 18 months, 375 million people have already gained improved access to quality healthcare, demonstrating the scale and speed of progress.

Financing Transformation Through Innovative Tools

To help countries advance toward self-reliance, Gavi and the World Bank Group will leverage innovative financing mechanisms such as:

• Blended finance to reduce investment risks

• Buydowns that decrease borrowing costs

• Guarantees to unlock private capital

• Support for public financial management reforms to ensure efficient allocation of health budgets

Gavi CEO Dr Sania Nishtar emphasized how critical these tools are for strengthening long-term national ownership of immunization programmes. “Our expanded collaboration with the World Bank reflects a long-standing joint effort to help countries build resilient health systems. As Gavi enters its next strategic period and begins implementing the Gavi Leap agenda, the additional resources from this partnership will be essential for advancing country ownership, self-reliance, and preparedness for future health threats.”

Supporting Africa’s Vaccine Manufacturing Ambitions

A core pillar of the partnership is support for regional vaccine production in Africa, aligned with the African Union’s goal to produce 60% of the continent’s vaccines domestically by 2040. Today, Africa manufactures less than 1% of its vaccines, leaving the region highly vulnerable during global crises such as COVID-19.

Through close collaboration with African stakeholders, development banks, and industry partners, Gavi and the World Bank will work to expand infrastructure, strengthen regulatory systems, enhance supply chain resilience, and facilitate technology transfers under Gavi’s African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator.

This long-term effort is expected to bolster pandemic preparedness, reduce dependency on global supply chains, and create high-quality jobs across the biomanufacturing ecosystem.

A Milestone for Global Health Financing

The new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is part of a broader push to scale coordinated development financing. At Gavi’s replenishment summit in June, the Alliance announced US$4.5 billion in complementary financing with Multilateral Development Banks and development finance institutions—an unprecedented effort to improve immunization coverage globally.

The MoU was formally signed by Dr Sania Nishtar and Ajay Banga during the Universal Health Coverage High-Level Forum hosted by the Government of Japan, in collaboration with the World Bank Group and the World Health Organization. It signifies a deepened alignment among leading global health actors working toward universal health coverage.

Driving Resilience, Equity, and Economic Growth

By combining Gavi’s expertise in immunization and vaccine markets with the World Bank Group’s financing capacity and policy support, the partnership will:

• Strengthen primary healthcare systems and national immunization programmes

• Increase domestic ownership and sustainable financing

• Support Africa’s path toward vaccine independence

• Create jobs across health and manufacturing sectors

• Improve global preparedness against future pandemics

As global health challenges grow more complex, the Gavi–World Bank collaboration represents a powerful step toward building systems that protect populations, promote equity, and drive long-term development.