Africa to Add 3 Million Health Workers by 2035

African health ministers have endorsed the Africa Health Workforce Agenda 2026–2035, committing to plan, educate, employ, and retain 3 million additional health workers by 2035. This decision was adopted on August 26 during the 76th session of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Committee for Africa in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The continent faces a risk of a shortage exceeding 6 million health workers, with only about 46% of the needed workforce currently available. Dr. Mohamed Yakub Janabi, WHO Regional Director for Africa, stated that merely increasing the number of trained health workers will not resolve the workforce challenges.

Nigeria has lost between 15,000 and 16,000 doctors to brain drain over the past five years. The WHO indicates that closing Africa’s health workforce gap requires an additional $4 to $6 per person annually, with significant economic and social benefits expected from such investments.

President Bola Tinubu has also called on Nigerian health professionals abroad to return and contribute to the country's healthcare transformation.