On February 21, 2025, the Malawi Countdown country collaboration team held a dissemination meeting on immunization vaccine coverage analyses at Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Lilongwe Campus.  The meeting brought together key stakeholders from the health sector, including policymakers, program managers, researchers, and development partners, to discuss strengthening country-led monitoring of national and sub-national estimates for key routine immunization indicators, with a strong emphasis on equity considerations.

The meeting was officially opened by Dr. Mike Chisema, the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) Manager in Malawi, who welcomed participants and provided an overview of the immunization program landscape in Malawi. He highlighted the importance of the meeting in addressing data gaps and strengthening immunization monitoring efforts. This was followed by a presentation by Vincent Phiri from Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, who delivered insights on An Overview of Countdown to 2030 Data Analysis for Immunization Coverage and Inequality Indicators in Malawi (2019–2023).

The presentations generated an engaging discussion, with participants asking critical questions on immunization services, data accuracy, and program performance. A key highlight of the discussions was the need to improve data quality through systematic approaches to ensure that national and global assessments of immunization programs are based on reliable and accurate information.

The Deputy Director for the Central Monitoring and Evaluation Department (CMED), responsible for data management within the Ministry of Health, acknowledged the insights from the meeting and reiterated the Ministry’s commitment to strengthening data quality and health information systems. Stakeholders also explored strategies for enhancing data collection, reporting, and utilization to support evidence-based decision-making and policy formulation.

The meeting concluded with actionable recommendations to improve immunization program performance and reinforce data systems for routine monitoring and evaluation. In his closing remarks, Prof. Adamson Muula, the Principal Investigator for the Countdown to 2030 project in Malawi, emphasized the importance of using the findings to inform policy and implementation. Mr. Isaac Dambula, the Deputy Director of CMED, officially closed the meeting, thanking participants for their contributions and reaffirming the Ministry’s commitment to improving immunization data quality and coverage.