President Mahama has made an indirect but strategic appeal to the international community to uphold their commitment to GAVI (Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation) amid the global bloc’s bid to raise $9 billion to vaccinate 500 million children from 2026 to 2030.

Delivering a speech during Gavi’s pledging summit in Brussels, co-hosted by the European Union and the Gates Foundation, President Mahama, in his concluding remarks, referred to the global powers' seemingly huge investments in warfare over human welfare.

He drummed his message with comparisons between GAVI’s $9 million fund to vaccinate 500 million children from 2026 to 2030 andthe cost of just four U.S. B-2 Spirit bombers, each priced at around $2.13 billion, totaling a whopping $8.52 billion, which were recently used in airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites.

In his speech, he said, “This morning, while I was lying in bed, I did the research, and I realised that one B-2 Spirit Bomber that dropped bombs on Iran recently cost $2.13 billion. If you work the math, what GAVI is seeking is the value of four of those B-2 bombers. Surely, the world can afford the value of four B-2 bombers to save 500 million children”.

The United States used B-2 Spirit bombers to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities during the night of June 21 to June 22, 2025. The operation, codenamed Operation Midnight Hammer, began around 2:10 a.m. Iran time and targeted key sites at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.

The B-2s launched from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri and flew an 18-hour mission, marking one of the longest and most complex stealth bombing operations in recent history.

According to a verified report by the Hengaw Organisation for Human Rights, at least 14 children were killed during the first three days of Israeli airstrikes on Iran. These included infants as young as 2 months and 7 months old, with most of the child fatalities occurring in Tehran.

Following this, President Mahama, in his appeal, emphasized the need to protect children, who are the future of our respective countries.

“But to conclude, let me put the GAVI replenishment in context. GAVI is seeking to spend $9 billion over the next five years, from 2026 to 2030, and that is to immunize 500 million children across the world. These children's lives will be saved to grow up to become the scientists, engineers, nurses, teachers, and doctors of tomorrow,” he added during the one-day event held on June 25.

He continued that the decision to choose life over death lies with the world. “It’s a choice we have to make, between taking lives and saving lives. And I’m sure that we will save lives instead of taking lives.”

Also, President Mahama’s comments come amid the US government’s announcement on June 25 that it was halting its financial contributions to GAVI over vaccine safety and transparency, particularly around GAVI’s recommendations during the COVID-19 pandemic and the use of the DTPw vaccine.

Since the founding of GAVI in 2000, the United States has been one of the major donors, contributing over $8 billion to its programs, and this accounts for roughly 26.7% of GAVI’s overall funding to date

Gavi, on the other hand, blatantly denied these claims, citing its commitment to science-based decisions and World Health Organisation guidelines.

Even though the USA has frozen its funding to GAVI, it currently still holds its seat as a board member, alongside countries like Australia and South Korea. So while the U.S. is technically still a member of Gavi’s governance structure, its financial support has been suspended for now.