UNICEF's Associate Director for Immunization highlights Angola's efforts to reach children.

Luanda, August 18, 2026 - When a child is left out of the vaccination system, it is not just a statistic that fails. It is an entire future that is at risk. It was in this context that Dr. Ephrem Tekle Lemango, UNICEF's Associate Director for Immunization, visited, on Wednesday, August 12, a vaccination center in the municipality of Viana, one of the areas with a high number of children who have not yet received any dose of vaccine.

The visit was part of a 5-day work agenda in Angola, dedicated to monitoring and strengthening the immunization program. During his visit to the country, Dr. Lemango met with health officials, including the Governor of Luanda Province, the National Immunization Program team, and partners such as the World Bank and Korea Government. 

In Viana, accompanied by the head of the Luanda Vaccination Program, Felismina Neto, Lemango met with representatives of the Municipal Administration and listened to the authorities about the immunization situation in the municipality.

During the visit to the health center, she followed the vaccination process, checked the storage conditions of the vaccines and listened to the professionals about the maternal and child health services.

The visit also made it possible to learn about some of the strategies used to reach children who live in areas of difficult access. The center is among those benefiting from UNICEF's support with motorcycles aimed at strengthening immunization activities.

According to Felismina Neto, the support provided by UNICEF has already produced concrete results.

"For example, during Immunization Week, we were able to carry out, in a single week, a number of vaccinations six times higher than what was achieved during the entire year of 2025. This was also possible thanks to the support of motorcycles. In our context, both three- and two-wheelers facilitate access to critical areas where cars cannot reach.", exemplified the expert.

Viana's experience shows that making vaccines available is only part of the challenge. It is necessary to create conditions for them to reach children, especially those who remain outside health services.

Angola continues to face a high number of "zero dose" children, those who have never received a routine vaccine. The new National Immunization Strategy 2026–2030 establishes, among its objectives, to achieve 90% vaccination coverage by 2030 and to significantly reduce the number of unvaccinated children.

"For Luanda and Angola, one of the main success factors will be to ensure that health services reach all children, as close as possible to their communities. We cannot expect families to travel long distances to access essential services," said Dr. Ephrem Lemango.

The official also recognized the progress achieved by Angola in the health sector and thanked the commitment of all stakeholders.

"We appreciate the efforts of the Government of Angola, health professionals and all partners to serve children and communities across the country. We encourage everyone to continue this collective effort, so that no child is left behind and more and more families have access to quality health services", he highlighted.

During his stay in Angola, Dr. Lemango also visited the Central Vaccine Warehouse and met with different partners and officials in the health sector, reinforcing the need to continue working in a coordinated manner to improve vaccination coverage in the country.

At the end of the visit to Viana, he encouraged authorities and partners to continue efforts to protect children and communities.