Abstract:
Rates of vaccination against COVID-19 remain lower in sub-Saharan Africa than in other
low and middle-income regions. This is, in part, attributed to vaccine hesitancy, mainly due to
misinformation about vaccine origin, efficacy and safety. From August to December 2021, we gathered
the latest experiences and opinions on four vaccine hesitancy-related areas (policies, perceived risk
religious beliefs, and misinformation) from 12 sub-Saharan African researchers, four of whom have
published about COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. The authors included two political and business
experts, six public health specialists, five epidemiologists, and four biostatisticians from ten sub-
Saharan African countries( Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Africa,
Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe). The authors’ overarching opinions were that political influences,
religious beliefs and low perceived risk exists in sub-Saharan Africa, and they collectively contribute
to COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Communication strategies should target populations initially thought
by policy makers to be at low risk, use multiple communication avenues and address major concerns
in the population.
