By Samira Larbie, GNA
Accra, May 13, GNA – African leaders have called for urgent, coordinated action to address Africa’s growing health workforce crisis, warning that the continent risks training talent it cannot retain.
Professor Mohamed Yacob Janabi, World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Director for Africa, framed the crisis not as a lack of skill or effort, but as a systemic failure requiring bold reform and global cooperation.
“This is not a shortage of talent… it is a system and a stream,” he said, recounting a personal experience as a cardiologist where a life-saving operation was jeopardized by an incomplete medical team”.
Pro Janabi made the call at the opening of the second African Health Workforce Investment Forum in Accra.
The three-day forum, builds on commitments made in 2024 and seeks to transition from promises to measurable outcomes on the theme: “From Words to Action: Plan, Train, Retain.”
It also saw the launch of the Africa Health Workforce Agenda 2035 and the state of Health Workforce in Africa report 2026.
Prof. Janabi revealed that Africa trained over 500,000 health workers between 2022 and 2024, yet nearly one in 10 had already migrated, with four in 10 considering leaving the continent.
He noted that while mobility was a right, the current trend largely benefiting wealthier nations in Europe, North America and parts of Asia—was creating dangerous imbalances.
“Africa is not against mobility… but mobility must prevail with fairness,” he said, proposing a global “co-investment” model where countries benefiting from African-trained professionals contribute financially to training systems on the continent.
He cited data showing that the United Kingdom alone saved an estimated £1.1 billion in training costs in 2025 by recruiting foreign-trained health workers, including thousands from Africa.
The forum introduced what Prof. Janabi described as the “Accra Reset,” anchored on principles of shared responsibility: no extraction without co-investment, no advantage without accountability, and no global health security without equity.
Prof Janabi urged African governments to match external calls with internal reforms, including job creation, improved working conditions, and stronger engagement with the diaspora to support skills transfer.
Despite the unveiling of new policy frameworks, speakers repeatedly warned that documents alone would not save lives.
“Actions have died where commitments failed,” Prof. Janabi cautioned, urging leaders to choose “courage over comfort, partnership over silence, and action over delay.”
Mr Kwabena Minta Akandoh, the Minister of Health, speaking at the forum emphasised the need for the continent to move “from declaration to delivery,” adding that the health workforce development was central to universal health coverage, economic growth, and health security.
He noted that while Africa had made progress in increasing the number of doctors, nurses, and midwives, gaps in equitable distribution, retention, and skills alignment persist, leaving many communities underserved.
Mr Akandoh said due to this the government, had initiated key reforms, including a national health labour market analysis, structured workforce exchange programmes, and the development of a National Health Workforce Plan to guide long-term investment and planning.
“These strategies must translate into budget commitments, jobs, training reforms, and improved working conditions for health workers,” he stated, adding that frontline and specialist care systems both depend on a well-trained, motivated, and fairly distributed workforce.
The Minister highlighted Ghana’s rollout of free primary health care and specialized programmes for non-communicable diseases as examples of policies that require strong human resource capacity to succeed.
He called for stronger collaboration among stakeholders, including ministries, development partners, professional bodies, and the private sector, to align efforts behind national and continental priorities.
A representative of the UK Department of Health and Social Care reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to global health partnerships, emphasizing that protecting domestic health systems required strengthening global health security.
Dr Nicole Delaney, Senior Fund Portfolio Manager, the Global Fund, highlighted that financing remained critical but must be aligned with national strategies and sustainability goals.
“The health workforce is the foundation of every health system,” she said, noting that human resources for health represent the largest share of the Fund’s investments in Africa.
Dr Ayman Abdelmohsen, Chief, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Branch, Programme Division, United Nations Population Fund, while highlighting the health workforce gaps, called for increased investment in midwives, who could deliver up to 90 per cent of essential maternal and newborn health services when properly trained.
With sub-Saharan Africa accounting for 70 per cent of global maternal deaths, he stressed that investing in midwives yields significant returns, both in health outcomes and economic savings.
Dr Yukiko Nakatani, Assistant Director-General WHO, described the newly launched Africa Health Workforce Agenda 2026–2035 as a “clear and actionable framework” designed to strengthen health systems while driving economic growth and job creation.
She called for whole-of-government approaches, bringing together ministries of health, finance, education and labour to ensure sustainable workforce development.
The forum is expected to accelerate implementation of the Africa Health Workforce Investment Charter, adopted in 2024, and align investments with country-led priorities.
GNA
Edited by George-Ramsey Benamba
Reporter: Samira Larbie
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