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MOGADISHU, November 4, 2026 - Somalia on Wednesday adopted a six-month plan to expand child vaccination and eradicate polio, at the first meeting of a new national committee chaired by Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre, his office said.
The National Committee for Immunisation and Polio Eradication (SIPE) brought together the ministries of health, education and finance, representatives of the federal member states, and partners including the World Health Organization, UNICEF, Gavi, Africa CDC and the Gates Foundation.
The meeting focused on strengthening child health services, reaching children who have not yet been vaccinated, eradicating polio and increasing domestic funding, the prime minister’s office said in a statement.
Barre called for real accountability in the fight against polio.
“Every budget allocated for vaccination must produce clear results, and the vaccine must reach every child through a transparent system,” he said. “We will measure our performance by how many children we have protected and the quality of the services we have delivered.”
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He said a joint implementation committee on vaccination would be held accountable for the number of children reached, the outbreaks prevented and how far it ensures Somali children have easy access to essential vaccines.
The six-month plan sets out the responsibilities of the various institutions and timelines for implementation, the statement said. Participants also agreed to boost domestic funding, coordination among ministries and accountability for international agencies.
Somalia has battled one of the world’s longest-running outbreaks of vaccine-derived polio. It recorded two cases in 2025 and at least one so far this year, according to WHO data.
About 1.5 million Somali children under five have never received a routine vaccine, according to WHO and UNICEF. UNICEF says a catch-up drive has reached more than 828,000 of them, but nearly as many remain unreached, many in remote, displaced or insurgent-held communities.
Health Minister Ali Haji Adam said in April that national immunisation coverage had reached 76%. In 2021 and 2022, coverage of the basic childhood vaccine series stood at about 30% to 40%.