UNICEF Warns COVID-19 Disrupted Child Vaccination, Leaving Millions Without Routine Immunization

UNICEF’s report La Situation des enfants dans le monde 2023 frames vaccination as a public-health revolution, describing how Marwan, Hind and Iman are protected through “Une campagne de vaccination” and access to a “centre de santé.”

“The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank Group has approved an investment of €7”

African Development Bank Group

The report says the COVID-19 pandemic “a sévèrement perturbé la vaccination infantile,” and states that from 2019 to 2021, “67 millions d’enfants ont été privés de l’intégralité ou d’une partie de leurs vaccins de routine.”

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UNICEF adds that globally there is “1 enfant « zéro dose » ou insuffisamment vacciné sur 5,” warning that children left behind face higher risk of preventable disease.

In parallel, the World Bank’s Groupe de la Banque mondiale says digital technology underpins essential services like hospitals and schools, but that “Without Internet access and without the skills needed to use digital technologies effectively, billions of people are effectively excluded from the modern world.”

The World Bank also quantifies the connectivity gap, saying “one-third of the world’s population, or 2.6 billion people, were still not connected in 2023.”

In Africa, a wave of startups is presented as a driver of economic change, with the Africа نيوز article describing young people in countries like Nigeria and Egypt building solutions “from electronic payments to digital health and renewable energy.”

The same article ties startup growth to employment and market integration, saying they “drive markets, create new jobs, and help integrate the informal economy into the formal financial system.”

CNN

The African Development Bank Group announced it approved “an investment of €7.5 million in the Briga Africa Fund” to support early-stage technology startups across five key markets including Egypt, South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, and the Francophone Africa region.

That investment is structured as “€5 million in equity” plus “€2.5 million” on behalf of the European Commission under the Post Africa initiative.

The African Development Bank Group’s fund description also links technology financing to job creation, stating it places “job creation at the heart of its investment model, including creating employment opportunities for women and young people.”

At the USA-Africa Business Summit in Luanda, speakers discussed digital transformation through “Generative AI” and framed it as a driver for sectors including education, health, transportation, energy, and agriculture.

“Whether it's a continent-wide educational ecosystem creating a pipeline to tech talent, a company building AI to revolutionize access for those with hearing loss in Kenya, or innovations and platforms powering the training of surgeons — businesses and individuals are transforming the way Africans learn, teach and provide medical care”

CNN

Sérgio Lopes, CEO of New Cognito, said it is “impossible to begin a corporate governance journey without adequately qualifying the people involved,” and argued that transformation projects require understanding the ecosystem to craft a change strategy.

The World Bank’s Groupe de la Banque mondiale emphasizes that delivering digital promises requires safeguards, saying it is essential to put “data protection measures, cybersecurity laws, and strong institutions—conditions necessary to develop and maintain robust, interconnected digital systems.”

It also quantifies the scale of connectivity investment needed, stating “more than $400 billion will be needed to realize universal access to high-speed broadband by 2030.”

Together, the sources depict a stakes-and-consequences landscape where vaccination access and digital inclusion both hinge on capacity, funding, and trust-building—whether through “campagne de vaccination” or through secure, affordable Internet services.