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The World Health Organisation, WHO, has raised the alarm as 42 per cent of nurses in Africa have reported intentions to emigrate, posing a significant threat to the region’s already strained healthcare workforce.
Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, the Acting WHO Regional Director for Africa, issued the warning in his message on Saturday, marking International Nurses Day.
Ihekweazu highlighted that while the global nursing workforce had increased to 29.8 million, up from around 28 million in 2018, there were concerning disparities.
“Nearly 80 per cent of nurses serve only 49 per cent of the world’s population, underscoring severe inequities in healthcare delivery.
“Today, on International Nurses Day, we honour the commitment, compassion, and courage of nurses across Africa and the world.
“Nurses represent nearly 70 per cent of the health workforce and are the foundation of our health systems, essential every day and indispensable in times of crisis,” Ihekweazu said.
He said the theme for 2025 International Nurses Day, “Our Nurses. Our Future. Caring for Nurses Strengthens Health Systems and Economies,” highlighted the importance of supporting nurses to build resilient, equitable, and thriving health systems.
Ihekweazu pointed out that while recent investments in nursing education and training in Africa had shown positive results, the number of nurses had increased from 900,000 in 2018 to 1.7 million in 2023.
“This growth is a testament to the efforts made to improve healthcare staffing on the continent.
“However, in spite of these advancements, the nurse-to-population ratio remains one of the lowest globally, significantly lower than in high-income countries.
“This disparity highlights the ongoing challenges in addressing healthcare workforce shortages in Africa.
“Yet, this is still one of the lowest ratios worldwide and more than tenfold lower than in high-income countries,” he said.
He noted that nurses accounted for 66 per cent of Africa’s projected shortfall of 6.1 million health workers by 2030, a gap that limited access to essential healthcare services and hindered progress towards universal health coverage.
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