• In Africa, malaria is causing nearly 500,000 child deaths under the age of 5. It constituted 95% of all global malaria cases and accounted for 96% of deaths in 2021. • The malaria vaccine has proven to be effective in protecting children against the disease. • Over the next two years, twelve countries across different regions in Africa will receive a total of 18 million doses of the first-ever malaria vaccine. • The Malaria Vaccine Implementation Programme (MVIP), coordinated by the WHO and funded by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and Unitaid, has been administering the malaria vaccine in Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi since 2019. • Nine more countries in Africa are planning to incorporate the vaccine into their routine immunization programs for the first time. • This vaccine shows great promise in the fight against malaria, with the potential to prevent tens of thousands of deaths each year.