Vaccines are very effective in providing individual and community (herd) 
immunity against a range of diseases. In addition to protection against a range 
of diseases, vaccines also have social and economic benefits. However, for 
vaccines to be effective, routine immunization programmes must be undertaken 
regularly to ensure individual and community protection. Nonetheless, in many 
countries in Africa, vaccination coverage is low because governments struggle to 
deliver vaccines to the most remote areas, thus contributing to constant 
outbreaks of various vaccine-preventable diseases. African governments fail to 
deliver vaccines to a significant percentage of the target population due to 
many issues in key areas such as policy setting, programme management and 
financing, supply chain, global vaccine market, research and development of 
vaccines. This review gives an overview of the causes of these issues and what 
is currently being done to address them. This review will discuss the role of 
philanthropic organisations such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and 
global partnerships such as the global alliance for vaccines and immunizations 
in the development, purchase and delivery of vaccines.