Each year, World Immunization Week (24–30 April) reminds us that immunization save lives, but behind every successful immunization campaign is a workforce of determined individuals, many of them women, working tirelessly in communities across Africa.
From bustling cities to the most remote villages, African women are leading the charge to protect children, families and communities from preventable diseases. They are community health workers, nurses, data managers, researchers, and advocates. And increasingly, they are stepping into leadership roles to shape the future of public health. But their journeys are often marked by obstacles, systemic gender inequities, limited mentorship opportunities, and a lack of representation in high-level decision-making.
At WomenLift Health, we are committed to expanding the power and influence of these talented women. The WomenLift Health Leadership Journey in the African region (East Africa, Southern Africa, and Nigeria) seeks to equip mid to senior career women in public health with the tools, skills, support, and networks they need to lead transformative change, including in immunization.
These women are not just part of an immunization workforce; they are shaping the very future of public health.
We took a moment to celebrate more than just the science of vaccines, and honour the people making immunization happen every day, in every corner of Africa. Often, they are women, leading quietly but powerfully from the front lines to the highest levels of health systems.
In the spotlight are three such women: Anna Ursula Happel (Southern Africa cohort, 2025), Fumane Lekoala (Southern Africa cohort, 2025) and Constance Agwang (East Africa cohort, 2025). Through their leadership, passion, and resilience, they exemplify what’s possible when women are empowered to lead.
Q: What does it mean to be a woman working in immunization in Africa today?
Anna: Being a woman scientist working in immunization in Africa today means using research to drive real-world impact, especially for infants, who are among the most vulnerable. My work focuses on improving vaccine responses in early life, and it’s incredibly rewarding to contribute to solutions that give children a healthier start. It also means advocating for equity in science and helping pave the way for more women to lead in Public Health.
Fumane: Being a woman working in immunization in Africa today is both deeply rewarding and profoundly challenging. It means being at the forefront of community transformation, ensuring health equity, and advocating tirelessly to protect our future generations from preventable diseases. It’s about navigating complex health systems, building trust in communities, and continuously championing gender-inclusive leadership despite persistent barriers.
Constance: Working in Immunization in Africa means resilience. Women in immunization in Africa face discrimination and security challenges, often limiting their ability to reach remote or conflict-stricken communities. There’s also a persistent marginalization of women from decision-making spaces, which negatively impacts health outcomes. Health systems perform better when women, who deliver much of the care, have an equal say in their design and delivery.
Q: What challenges do women in immunization leadership face?
Anna: As a translational scientist focused on maternal and paediatric health, I see women in the immunization field facing barriers like limited visibility, fewer funding opportunities, and challenges translating lab work into practice. Despite driving key research, they’re underrepresented in decision-making spaces. There’s also the ongoing challenge of balancing scientific careers with societal expectations, which can hinder career progression. Closing these gaps is essential for both gender equity and advancing vaccine science.
Fumane: Women in immunization leadership frequently encounter systemic gender biases, limited access to mentorship and networks, and underrepresentation in key decision-making roles. These challenges make it essential to actively build supportive environments where women’s leadership is not just acknowledged but celebrated and integrated into health systems at all levels.
Constance: While women show extraordinary strength ensuring vaccines reach the most vulnerable, they frequently face discrimination, poor pay, unsafe working conditions, and gender-based violence (GBV). Often concentrated in lower-level roles, women make up most community health workers and nurses but only about 25–30% of leadership roles in global health organizations. This leadership gap affects not just career progression, but the quality of care delivered to communities. According to the centre for strategic and international studies (CSIS), women account for just 31% and 27% of ministers of health and heads of World Health Assembly delegations, respectively and 25% of the heads and boards of global health organizations guiding decision making. This leadership gap can make it difficult for them to advocate for better working conditions and improvements in quality of care for patients and their families.
Q: What’s the real-world impact of investing in women’s leadership in immunization?
Anna: Investing in women’s leadership in immunization has a direct impact on improving vaccine research, access and uptake, especially in underserved communities. Women in leadership roles bring unique perspectives, ensuring that immunization strategies are both scientifically sound and culturally relevant, particularly in maternal and paediatric health. This leads to more effective, equitable vaccination programs that ultimately save lives and reduce health disparities.
Fumane: Investing in women’s leadership in immunization has transformative outcomes. It not only enhances the effectiveness of vaccine programs but also significantly improves community trust and participation. Empowered women leaders drive equitable access to vaccines, especially reaching those in marginalized and hard-to-access areas, thus creating sustainable improvements in public health outcomes across Africa.
Constance: To achieve universal health coverage, more efforts need to be put in place to address existing gender barriers in child immunization (Vidal Fuertes C et al, 2022). Studies have shown that increasing gender equity and empowering women have the potential to improve global childhood vaccination rates. In addition, studies have also shown that maternal education is significantly associated with immunization coverage for women and their children. Women with a significant level of education are more likely to understand the immunization routines and read cards better compared to their uneducated counterparts. Limited literacy levels may also diminish the ability of women to appreciate the importance of multiple vaccination visits. (Arsenault C et al, 2017)
