(Zwedru, Grand Gedeh County, April 28, 2026) — The Ministry of Health (MOH), in collaboration with international partners, county health teams, and other county-level implementers of Liberia’s Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI), has convened its annual review meeting, with calls for strategic recalibration to address emerging challenges in the sector.
The review focuses on assessing performance for 2025 and the first quarter of 2026. The initiative is being conducted in two phases: first in Zwedru, Grand Gedeh County, and subsequently in Kakata, Margibi County. This brings together health teams from all 15 counties to evaluate progress, identify gaps, and align priorities for the year ahead.
Speaking on behalf of the Minister of Health, Dr. Louise M. Kpoto, at the opening of the first session in Zwedru, the Deputy Minister for Policy, Planning, and M&E, Atty. Malayah Tamba Chieyoe, called on stakeholders to ensure that decisions taken at policy and planning meetings translate into tangible improvements in the lives of Liberians.
Minister Chieyoe said such gatherings provide a critical platform for collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and the strengthening of professional relationships among participants.
The Deputy Minister further emphasized that decisions taken should not remain on paper but must lead to measurable improvements in service delivery and health outcomes across the country.
He challenged stakeholders to remain committed throughout the planning process, ensuring that their contributions benefit those who are not present at the decision-making table.
For his part, the EPI Program Manager, Dr. Adolphus Clarke, drew attention to what he described as a critical moment for the immunization program, citing shrinking fiscal space from GAVI and other immunization partners.
He disclosed ongoing efforts to bridge the existing funding gap by leveraging on Government-to-Government (G2G) MOU signed between the Government of Liberia and the Government of the United States to secure additional support for critical immunization activities that are currently unfunded, noting that such arrangements would come with stringent monitoring and audit mechanisms. “Once we get full approval, we will inform you of those activities supported by the U.S. government,” he added.
He urged county teams to provide context-specific insights into the persistence of outbreaks despite reported high vaccination coverage. “We will rely on the counties’ expertise, but most importantly, the true answers to why we are seeing consistent measles outbreaks amid high vaccination coverage,” he stated.
Delivering remarks on behalf of the World Health Organization (WHO), Immunization Officer Dr. Tiala Korkpor Mulbah commended the Ministry of Health and the EPI unit for organizing the review, emphasizing the importance of decentralization in strengthening service delivery.
“There’s a lot that goes into the planning and coordination of such activity, and I most commend EPI for being robust with this,” Dr. Mulbah said. “Being here in Zwedru is a testament to the power of decentralization.”
She praised frontline health workers for their resilience under challenging conditions. “We see the way you push tirelessly, despite limited resources and difficult terrain, toward the promise of universal vaccine coverage,” she said.
“That progress isn’t just a line on a graph; it is a child who will grow up healthy, a mother who can sleep soundly, an adolescent who is safe, and a community that is stronger than it was yesterday.”
However, she cautioned that gaps remain, particularly among “zero-dose” children who have not received any vaccines. “As long as those gaps exist, our job is not done,” she stressed.
She reaffirmed WHO’s commitment to Liberia’s immunization agenda and the broader immunization agenda 2030 ( IA2030), stating: “WHO remains your steadfast partner on this journey. We share your vision that no child in Liberia should be left vulnerable to a disease we have the power to prevent.”
Also addressing the gathering, UNICEF Grand Gedeh County Program Officer Timothy Paulus described UNICEF’s role as both technical and logistical, underscoring its critical support to Liberia’s immunization infrastructure.
“In Liberia, UNICEF is a core partner to the Ministry of Health’s Expanded Program on Immunization. The relationship goes beyond funding, positioning UNICEF as a key technical and logistical support arm,” Paulus said.
He noted that UNICEF has been instrumental in bridging supply chain and cold chain gaps, particularly in hard-to-reach communities.
“One of the most significant challenges in Liberia is reaching ‘zero-dose’ children in hard-to-access communities,” he said. “We are working with the MOH to spearhead the ‘Last Mile’ delivery strategy.”
Citing a recent example, Paulus disclosed that UNICEF-supported outreach during the 2024 measles vaccination campaign reached thousands of children nationwide. “UNICEF funding enabled specialized outreach teams to reach 78,514 children in remote areas across all 15 counties,” he revealed.
He also highlighted efforts to modernize data systems, noting that UNICEF, in collaboration with the Africa CDC, has supported digital transformation within the EPI program.
Paulus further pointed to UNICEF’s role in vaccine procurement, including the delivery of 112,000 doses of the RTS, S malaria vaccine in early 2024. “This marked a major expansion of the EPI portfolio beyond traditional childhood diseases,” he noted.
The EPI Annual Review Meeting is structured to facilitate in-depth technical discussions, including breakout sessions on data management, disease surveillance, service delivery, supply chain systems, community engagement, training, and administration