This comprehensive survey, spanning 55 districts across all 16 regions of Ghana, marks a pivotal step in the nation’s preparation to transition from support by the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) by 2030, ensuring long-term health security and vaccine sovereignty.
With Ghana poised to become a significant player in vaccine manufacturing, understanding and nurturing public trust is paramount. The survey aims to generate evidence-based insights rooted in community realities, ensuring that Made-in-Ghana vaccines not only meet the highest quality and safety standards but also resonate with the public’s trust and confidence.
This initiative underscores Ghana’s commitment to building a resilient healthcare system that prioritizes the needs and concerns of its citizens.
“Local vaccines must inspire confidence to succeed,” noted Dr. Sodzi Sodzi-Tettey, CEO of NVI. “Ghana has long been a leader in immunization in West Africa, built on trust in health workers and vaccines. As we begin manufacturing our own vaccines, we must carry that legacy forward through transparency, engagement, and listening to communities.”
The survey, to be conducted over two months from February 16 to March 10, 2026, employs a rigorous mixed-methods approach. Quantitative data will be collected from 11,077 respondents through structured interviews using random sampling, providing a broad overview of vaccine perceptions across the country. Complementing this, seven focus group discussions in strategically selected districts will gather qualitative insights, delving deeper into the belief systems, concerns, and experiences that shape attitudes toward vaccination.
This dual approach will allow researchers to assess public attitudes toward vaccines, identify key drivers of confidence, examine barriers to acceptance of Made-in-Ghana vaccines and map misinformation trends that could potentially undermine uptake. By combining quantitative data (prevalence, demographics) with qualitative insights (belief systems, trusted messengers), the survey enables geographically tailored and evidence driven interventions.
The nationwide coverage is critical, as vaccine confidence varies significantly across regions. Parts of Northern Ghana, for example, report higher levels of hesitancy, while urban areas face different misinformation dynamics. By conducting research across all 16 regions, the NVI aims to ensure that policies reflect Ghana’s diversity and address the realities of both high-confidence and high-hesitancy communities.
District selection was guided by five key criteria, regional stratification, geographic diversity, variation in vaccine hesitancy levels, strategic relevance for Made-in-Ghana vaccine rollout, and accessibility for safe and effective fieldwork. This structured and representative approach ensures that findings are generalizable to Ghana’s broader population.
The expected outcomes of the survey are far-reaching. The generated evidence will inform communication strategies and identify trusted messengers for the Made-in-Ghana vaccine rollout, distinguish between attitudinal hesitancy and structural barriers to enable targeted interventions, guide region-specific and demographic-specific vaccine messaging, and support Ghana’s health security transition by aligning manufacturing capacity with public acceptance.
Furthermore, the survey will establish a national baseline for vaccine confidence by region and demographics, assess the misinformation landscape, and examine the influence of Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) approval on vaccine acceptance. This comprehensive data will be invaluable in building sustained public trust through transparent, evidence-based communication.
“This is not a sales pitch,” Dr. Sodzi Sodzi-Tettey emphasized. “We genuinely want to listen and understand. The information provided is strictly confidential. Together, we build vaccine confidence that protects every Ghanaian.”
The NVI is appealing to residents in the 55 selected districts to actively support this important research, stressing that their voices are crucial in shaping government communication strategies and ensuring that Made-in-Ghana vaccines reach every household. Participation is voluntary and all information collected will remain strictly confidential.
Source: 3news.com