African countries commit to train and retain 3 million more health workers by 2035

Ministers of health from Africa today endorsed the Africa Health Workforce Agenda 2026–2035, committing to plan, educate, employ and retain 3 million additional health workers by 2035 in a landmark effort to strengthen health systems and ensure more people across the continent have access to quality health services when and where they need them.

Adopted by Ministers of Health during the Seventy-sixth session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa, the Agenda marks a decisive shift from simply training more health workers to strengthening health labour markets through better planning, education, employment and retention. It calls for coordinated investments to ensure countries have the competent, motivated and well-supported workforce needed to meet Africa’s growing health needs.

The commitment comes at a pivotal moment for Africa’s health workforce. The Region’s health workforce has grown substantially over the past decade, reaching an estimated 5.72 million health workers in 2024. Yet Africa still has only about 46% of the workforce it needs, leaving millions of people without adequate access to essential health services. Without decisive action, the Region could face a shortage of more than 6 million health workers by 2035.

At the same time, the Region faces a striking labour market paradox. While health facilities struggle with workforce shortages, an estimated one million trained health professionals are unemployed, with new graduates particularly affected. More than half of newly qualified nurses, doctors and midwives in several countries are unable to secure employment soon after graduation, highlighting the urgent need to better align health workforce education with job creation, sustainable financing and long-term workforce planning.

“Today, Africa has made a collective commitment to transform one of the foundations of its health systems, its people. By adopting the Africa Health Workforce Agenda 2026–2035, our Member States have recognized that educating health workers is only the beginning. We must also create the opportunities, the support and the conditions that enable them to serve, grow and thrive where they are needed most. This Agenda turns evidence into action and political commitment into lasting investment in Africa’s health workforce and ultimately, in the health and well-being of our people,”said Dr Mohamed Yakub Janabi, WHO Regional Director for Africa

The Health Workforce Agenda provides countries with a practical roadmap to strengthen health labour markets by improving workforce planning, expanding quality education, creating employment opportunities and retaining skilled health workers where they are needed most. It also calls for coordinated action across health, education, finance, labour and public service sectors to ensure investments translate into better access to quality health services.

The Health Workforce Agenda also makes a strong economic case for investing in the health workforce. The latest evidence shows that closing Africa’s health workforce gap would require an additional investment of about US$ 4 to US$ 6 per person per year, while generating substantial economic and social returns. Every dollar invested in the health workforce can generate up to 10 dollars in economic returns and around thirty times its value in broader social benefits through healthier populations, increased productivity and stronger economies. These findings reinforce that investing in health workers is not simply a health priority, it is a smart investment in Africa’s future.

The Africa Health Workforce Agenda 2035 builds on the foundation laid by the Africa Health Workforce Investment Charter, reaffirming Member States’ commitment to invest in the health workforce as a driver of stronger health systems, healthier populations and sustainable development. By translating that commitment into a clear roadmap for action, it provides countries with practical direction to plan, educate, employ and retain the health workers needed to meet Africa’s present and future health needs.

With the adoption of the Africa Health Workforce Agenda 2035, Member States have established a shared roadmap to build the competent, supported and equitably distributed health workforce needed to meet the Region’s evolving health needs. Its success will ultimately be measured not by the number of policies adopted, but by the number of health workers empowered to serve their communities and by the millions more people who gain access to the quality health services they need.