SORDI and DevCat Conclude VPOP Prioritization and Sequencing Workshop

SORDI, in partnership with Development Catalyst (DevCat), concluded a two-day VPOP Prioritization and Sequencing Workshop (16–17 September 2026, Palms Hotel, Mogadishu) in support of Somalia's Federal Ministry of Health, convening NITAG, WHO, UNICEF, federal and state EPI managers, and key immunization partners.

Building on Workshop 1, where NITAG selected five candidate new vaccines — Hepatitis B Birth Dose, Rubella, HPV, DTP booster, and Oral Cholera Vaccine (OCV) — SORDI, with support from DevCat, collected and analysed evidence on each against the importance and feasibility criteria of the New Vaccine Introduction Prioritization and Sequencing Tool (NVI-PST) and presented the findings. NITAG reviewed and discussed the evidence, then voted and sequenced the vaccines.

NITAG also reviewed evidence on two optimisation questions: switching PENTA+IPV to a hexavalent formulation, and moving the MR vaccine from 10-dose to 5-dose vials — decisions with real implications for cold-chain efficiency, wastage, and delivery in hard-to-reach areas. Strengthening immunization is not only about adding new vaccines, but optimising what is already in the schedule.

These outcomes will directly inform Somalia's Gavi 6.0 application cycle, anchoring decisions on which vaccines to introduce, in what order, and in what formulation, in evidence and feasibility.

Sincere thanks to the Federal Ministry of Health and EPI Programme, NITAG and its Chair, state EPI teams, WHO, UNICEF, DevCat, Gavi, and the Gates Foundation.

In a fragile health system, vaccine portfolio optimisation and prioritisation are how we make every dose count.