Bridging borders, boosting coverage: Cross-country insights drive progress on Malaria vaccine delivery in West Africa

In March 2026, researchers, public health experts, and programme managers from the GAVI Malaria Vaccine Learning Agenda gathered in Kisumu, Kenya, for a cross-learning workshop dedicated addressing critical questions on how to increase uptake of malaria vaccines, as well as how to optimize the scheduling and delivery of malaria vaccines in areas with highly seasonal transmission.

The meeting brought together over 30 participants representing 4 consortia across 7 countries, among them the European Vaccine Initiative (EVI)-led  consortium, including the Centre de Recherches Entomologiques de Cotonou (CREC), the National Malaria Programmes of Benin and Guinea, the Gamal Abdel Nasser University of Conakry, the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR), and the Université Iba Der Thiam de Thiès.

The workshop provided a platform for sharing findings from our ongoing study Seasonal intensification of malaria vaccine delivery in Benin and Guinea: feasibility, impact, and cost-effectiveness. At the heart of the discussions was the seasonal approach to malaria vaccine delivery in Benin and Guinea. The strategy focuses outreach during May and June to ensure young children receive their first three doses, while intensifying catch-up efforts for those who may have missed earlier vaccinations, just ahead of the peak transmission season. The fourth dose is then carefully scheduled to land just before the following high transmission season, maximising protection when it matters most. The compelling presentations from Benin and Guinea, brought the evidence to life and sparked rich cross-country dialogue.

The workshop offered a rare opportunity for partners to move beyond their own national contexts, compare experiences side by side, and collectively examine the operational realities of implementing seasonal vaccine delivery at scale. Discussions surfaced both the promise of the approach and the nuanced country-level factors, from health system capacity to community outreach logistics, that will shape its success.

Beyond the meeting room, participants took part in a field visit to local clinics and community outreach settings in the Kisumu area, where they observed first-hand a range of interventions implemented by the Sabin Vaccine Institute, which co-organised the workshop alongside GAVI, to increase malaria vaccine uptake. The visit offered a valuable opportunity to ground the workshop discussions in real-world implementation and draw practical lessons from an active programme context.