Africa CDC to convene health workforce forum in Abuja

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) will convene African health and finance ministers in Abuja from 28 to 30 October to accelerate the recruitment, training, deployment, and retention of two million community health workers across the continent by 2030.

Organised in collaboration with the Nigerian government and continental partners, the high-level forum will bring together ministers of health and finance, senior government officials, development partners, African Union institutions, and community health representatives to chart a path to strengthen Africa’s frontline health workforce.

According to a media advisory issued by Africa CDC on Wednesday, discussions will focus on translating continental commitments into country-level action through sustainable financing, workforce development, harmonised standards, and cost plans to expand community health services.

The meeting will be held under the political leadership of President Bola Tinubu, the African Union Champion for Human Resources for Health and the Community Health Delivery Partnership.

Growing health workforce crisis

The forum comes at a critical time for Africa’s health systems, which continue to face significant workforce shortages amid rising pressures from disease outbreaks and growing healthcare needs.

Africa CDC estimates that the continent had about 1.15 million community health workers in 2024. However, Africa’s overall health workforce shortage is projected to reach 5.85 million by 2030 if urgent measures are not taken.

The shortage poses a major threat to efforts to expand access to healthcare, particularly in underserved and remote communities where community health workers often serve as the first point of contact for patients.

Recent outbreaks of diseases such as Ebola and Mpox have further exposed the importance of well-trained and adequately supported health workers in detecting health threats, educating communities and responding swiftly to public health emergencies.

Community health workers also play a vital role in disease surveillance, maternal and child health services, health education, early illness detection, and referrals to health facilities. They are also central to efforts to reach children who have missed routine vaccinations.

Key initiatives

Africa CDC said the Abuja meeting will launch the Continental Community Health Acceleration Plan and the Continental Community Health Programme Scorecard, both designed to guide and track progress in strengthening community health systems across member states.

The next cycle of the Continental Community Health Landscape Survey will also be launched to assess progress and identify gaps in workforce development efforts.

Participants are expected to develop costed national acceleration plans for community health workers for the 2026-2030 period, while discussions will focus on domestic financing, job creation, workforce deployment, and retention.

The forum is also expected to establish continental priorities for health workforce investment and accountability, with a view to ensuring that commitments made by governments translate into measurable improvements in health service delivery.

A high-level ministerial session scheduled for 30 October will seek fresh political and financial commitments to accelerate the development of community health programmes across Africa.

According to Africa CDC, strengthening the community health workforce could help improve access to primary healthcare, boost maternal and child health outcomes, increase routine immunisation coverage and strengthen preparedness for future disease outbreaks.

Nigeria’s preparedness

The gathering also comes as Nigeria intensifies efforts to strengthen its preparedness against Ebola following the confirmation of an imported case in Abuja.

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As PREMIUM TIMES previously reported, the House of Representatives on Wednesday called for the release of outstanding funds appropriated for health agencies to bolster the country’s readiness and response capacity.

Lawmakers also raised concerns about gaps in healthcare workers’ preparedness, shortages of infection prevention and control materials, and limited emergency response capacity, underscoring the need to invest in a resilient, well-staffed health workforce.

The Abuja Forum is expected to put these concerns at the centre of discussions as African countries seek practical ways to close workforce gaps and build stronger health systems that can respond to future public health emergencies.