Africa CDC Calls for $4.3 Billion to Boost Health Workforce

At a high-level ministerial gathering on community health in Abuja, Dr Raji Tajudeen, Acting Deputy Director-General of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, urged the African Union and its member states to commit to expanding Africa's community health workforce. An estimated $4.3 billion is required annually to achieve the target of two million community health workers by 2030.

As of May 2026, there were 1,059,085 community health workers deployed across Africa, leaving a shortfall of 941,000 workers. The Africa CDC's Continental Community Health Programme Acceleration Plan 2026–2030 outlines a cumulative investment of approximately $28 billion needed by 2030.

Tajudeen called for political commitments to ensure adequate funding and integration of community health workers into national health systems. Dr Iziaq Salako, Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, echoed the need for concrete commitments from participating countries to develop or update their national community health plans within the next 12 to 18 months.