Nigeria launches continental community health acceleration plan

Vice President Kashim Shettima has launched the Community Health Programme Continental Acceleration Plan 2026–2030 in Abuja. The initiative aims to support the African Union’s goal of deploying two million community health workers across the continent by 2030.

As part of this plan, Nigeria is targeting the deployment of 100,000 salaried community health workers by 2027. The administration intends to provide these workers with legal recognition, professional certification, reliable salaries, and clear career progression. The government’s Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative has secured over $2.2 billion in commitments, with plans to revitalize more than 17,000 primary healthcare centres and train 120,000 frontline health workers.

Shettima emphasized that community health workers are essential for strengthening primary healthcare, particularly in underserved areas, by identifying maternal health risks, locating unvaccinated children, and detecting disease outbreaks early.