Africa: More Health Workers, Stronger Systems - Africa's New Ambitious Goal

What the report says

African health ministers meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, have backed a new 10-year programme aimed at expanding and strengthening the continent’s health workforce, according to UN News, as republished by AllAfrica. The plan responds to a projected shortage of more than six million health professionals by 2035 and seeks to improve how countries train, employ, support and retain workers across health systems.

The Health Workforce Management Programme in Africa (2026-2035) was adopted during the 76th session of the World Health Organization’s Regional Committee for Africa. WHO says the initiative is intended to help countries add three million health workers over the decade while also improving workforce planning, labor-market alignment and sustainable financing. The broader message of the meeting was that simply producing more graduates is not enough if health systems cannot absorb them.

The report says Africa’s health workforce has reached nearly 5.72 million people in 2024, but the continent still has only about 46% of the workers needed to meet demand. It also notes a mismatch in which many trained professionals remain unemployed even as clinics and hospitals report shortages, especially in some countries where more than half of newly qualified nurses, doctors and midwives struggle to find jobs.

Ministers also endorsed a regional strategy focused on giving every child a stronger start in life, involving coordinated work across health, nutrition, education, water and sanitation, social protection and finance. The article presents both initiatives as part of a wider effort to build more resilient public systems and improve long-term health and economic outcomes across Africa.