The recent disclosure by the World Health Organisation (WHO) that 42 per cent of nurses in Africa intend to emigrate is disturbing. Their emigration will likely threaten and destabilize the Africa’s fragile health systems. According to the report, nurses account for 66 per cent of the region’s projected shortfall of 6.1 million health workers by 2030. This shortage has the potential to limit access to essential services, from maternal and child health to chronic disease cares and attainment of the universal health coverage. Nigeria’s health system will be particularly affected by the planned emigration because the pattern of nurses’ emigration has been higher in the country.
The immediate past Acting Regional Director for Africa at WHO, Chikwe Ihekweazu, who is now the new head of organisation’s Health Emergencies Programme, made the disclosure at the 2025 edition of the International Nurses Day, warned that the development could further drain the continent’s already fragile health systems. The theme for the 2025 celebration is “Our Nurses, Our Future. Caring for Nurses Strengthens Health Systems and Economies,” which WHO says reinforces the need for better support and investment in the nursing profession. International Nurses Day is observed annually around the world on May 12 to mark nurses’ contributions to society.
“Nurses are the backbone of our health systems. Yet nearly half of them are looking to leave, drawn by better pay, safer environments, and clear career pathways in wealthier nations. This has far-reaching implications for access to care and health equity,” Chikwe said. Nurses constitute nearly 70 per cent of Africa’s health workforce, but even with the statistics, the continent ranks among the lowest nurse-to-population ratios in the world.
Despite recent progress, including a near doubling of the nursing workforce from 900,000 in 2018 to 1.7 million in 2023, Africa still has one of the lowest nurse-to-population ratios in the world. At 14.1 nurses per 100,000 people, the region lags far behind high-income countries. Further depletion of this figure by the imminent exodus of the nurses would compound the health challenges of the continent.
Thousands of Nigerian nurses and other health workers have migrated abroad for better working conditions. In 2024, the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN) revealed that over 15,000 Nigerian nurses obtained verification to work abroad between 2021 and 2023. In 2023, the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) of the UK revealed that the number of Nigeria-trained nurses increased by 68.4 per cent from 2,790 in March 2017 to 7,256 in March 2022.
The migration is not limited to the nurses. Recently, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, disclosed that over 16,000 Nigerian doctors had left the country in the last five to seven years to practise abroad. The exodus leaves Nigeria with just 55,000 doctors for a population of 220 million and has created a doctor-to-population ratio of 3.9 per 10,000, which is far below the WHO recommendation of 1:1,000.
African nurses emigrate to Europe and America because better working conditions and conducive environment for work and availability of the needed facilities and equipment. The best strategy to retain the nurses and other medical professionals in Africa is to create an enabling environment for them to thrive. This will enable them provide the best services. African countries can encourage enhanced private sector participation in the sector to make it comparable with what happens elsewhere.
Everything humanly possible should be done to discourage the emigration of the health professionals. Let the budget for health be increased substantially. African leaders should abide by the 2001 Abuja Declaration to allocate at least 15 per cent of their annual spending to health. While countries like Rwanda and South Africa have met the commitment by allocating at least 15 per cent of their total budgets to health, Nigeria and others are yet to do so. We urge the countries that have not shown commitment to the declaration to do so.
The recent approval by President Bola Tinubu for a National Health Workforce Policy to transform Nigeria’s healthcare and reintegrate diaspora professionals to the healthcare sector should be followed through. The initiative is a comprehensive strategy to manage and reverse the migration of healthcare professionals and create a robust healthcare system where workers are well-supported and adequately rewarded.
The policy envisions a thriving workforce that is well-supported, adequately rewarded, and optimally utilized to meet the healthcare needs of all Nigerians. Its key aspects include: human health resource programme, which will ensure regular reviews of working conditions for health workers, especially in rural and underserved areas. This aims to enhance job satisfaction and retain top talent within the country. It is a commendable initiative. Let other African countries emulate it.