Strengthening capacity for social science research on vaccines in Africa

Vaccines remain among the most cost-effective public health interventions for preventing and controlling infectious disease outbreaks and ensuring global health security. Yet, Africa produces less than one percent of the vaccines used across the continent. To address this gap, the African Union has set an ambitious target: to support the development, production and supply of over 60% of the total vaccine doses required by the continent by 2040. Encouraging progress is already under way. For instance, in December 2023, Rwanda inaugurated Africa’s first-ever mRNA vaccine manufacturing facility.

However, current efforts to enhance Africa’s vaccine production capacity are primarily focused on manufacturing and distribution, with limited attention to improving vaccine uptake. Vaccine uptake remains a significant global challenge. Social and behavioural science research can play a critical role in designing targeted interventions to overcome barriers to vaccination, build public trust in vaccines and strengthen community engagement — ultimately driving greater demand for, and broader coverage of, vaccines across Africa.

This project aims to generate evidence on the social and behavioural determinants of vaccination, address systemic and communication barriers and strengthen regional research capacity and collaboration to inform vaccine policy and practice in Eastern Africa. It will focus on four thematic areas: vaccine demand and acceptance; communication and misinformation mitigation; health system responsiveness and equitable access; and knowledge translation and policy engagement.