started · updated
Africa adopts 10-year plan to add 3 million health workers by 2035
African health ministers have endorsed the Africa Health Workforce Agenda 2026–2035, a 10-year strategic plan aimed at transforming the continent's health-sector labor markets. Adopted during the 76th session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the program commits to training, employing, and retaining 3 million additional health workers by 2035.
The initiative addresses a critical deficit: Africa currently possesses only about 46 percent of the required health workforce. While the number of professionals reached approximately 5.72 million in 2024, projections suggest a potential shortage exceeding 6 million workers by 2035 if current trends continue. The agenda shifts focus from mere training to building sustainable systems through improved planning, expanded education, job creation, and enhanced retention strategies to combat the medical brain drain to high-income nations.
Despite the shortage, the continent faces a paradox where nearly one million trained health professionals remain unemployed, particularly among recent graduates. Addressing these gaps is viewed as an economic necessity; experts suggest that every dollar invested in health workers could generate up to 10 dollars in economic returns.
Entities
Addis Ababa · Africa · Africa Health Workforce Agenda 2026–2035 · African health ministers · Dr Mohamed Yakub Janabi · Ethiopia · Mohamed Yakub Janabi · World Health Organization
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 7 SOURCES] African health ministers endorsed the Africa Health Workforce Agenda 2026–2035. businesselitesafrica.com · tribuneonlineng.com · nairametrics.com · forbesafricalusofona.com · www.globaldiasporanews.com · +2 more
- [● 5 SOURCES] Dr Mohamed Yakub Janabi stated that education alone is insufficient and that conditions must be created to enable workers to thrive where they are needed. tribuneonlineng.com · nairametrics.com · forbesafricalusofona.com · www.globaldiasporanews.com · www.elbalad.news
- [● 6 SOURCES] Africa faces a potential shortage of more than 6 million health workers by 2035 if current trends continue. businesselitesafrica.com · tribuneonlineng.com · nairametrics.com · www.globaldiasporanews.com · www.elaosboa.com · +1 more
- [● 4 SOURCES] An estimated one million trained health professionals are currently unemployed in Africa. tribuneonlineng.com · forbesafricalusofona.com · www.globaldiasporanews.com · www.elbalad.news
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Every dollar invested in health workers could generate up to 10 dollars in economic returns. tribuneonlineng.com
- [● 6 SOURCES] The Africa Health Workforce Agenda 2026–2035 was adopted during the 76th session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. nairametrics.com · forbesafricalusofona.com · www.globaldiasporanews.com · businesselitesafrica.com · www.elaosboa.com · +1 more
- [● 7 SOURCES] The agenda commits to recruiting and retaining 3 million additional health workers by 2035. businesselitesafrica.com · tribuneonlineng.com · nairametrics.com · forbesafricalusofona.com · www.globaldiasporanews.com · +2 more
- [● 6 SOURCES] Africa currently possesses approximately 46 percent of the required health workforce. tribuneonlineng.com · nairametrics.com · www.globaldiasporanews.com · businesselitesafrica.com · www.elaosboa.com · +1 more