The World Health Organization has expressed concern over the state of Africa’s health workforce, warning that despite increased training of medical professionals, millions of people across the continent still lack adequate healthcare access. Speaking during a press briefing on Wednesday to unveil the State of the Health Workforce in Africa 2026 report, Mohamed Yakub Janabi said Africa’s healthcare sector is currently at a critical stage.
According to him, although the continent has recorded notable improvements in expanding its health workforce, major gaps still remain in delivering effective healthcare services to citizens. “Africa is training more health workers than ever before, yet nearly one million trained professionals are unemployed, while millions still lack essential services,” he said.
The report revealed that Africa’s health workforce has grown significantly over the past decade, increasing from approximately 1.6 million workers in 2013 to about 5.7 million in 2024. Despite this growth, the continent still has only around 46 per cent of the health workers required to meet demand, with projections showing a shortage of nearly six million professionals by 2030.
The WHO further noted that some African countries record unemployment rates of up to 27 per cent among trained healthcare workers, while migration and quality-of-care challenges continue to weaken healthcare systems. “The challenge is no longer just numbers,” Mr Janabi said. “It is about jobs, distribution, quality and retention.” He explained that the newly introduced Africa Health Workforce Agenda (2026–2035) is expected to support the creation of three million additional healthcare jobs through improved investment strategies and workforce planning.
Also speaking at the event, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh highlighted similar challenges in Ghana, revealing that over 100,000 trained health professionals in the country remain unemployed despite shortages in healthcare delivery. According to him, Ghana currently has about 102,000 active healthcare workers but still faces difficulties integrating newly trained professionals into the health system. “It is important for us to move beyond conversations and focus on solutions,” he said, adding that the government plans to recruit between 15,000 and 25,000 health workers yearly over the next three years.
Source: https://gazettengr.com/
