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Transforming Africa’s Health Workforce: A Unified Vision for 2026-2035
Pretoria, South Africa- In a landmark gathering, African nations have collectively outlined the strategic priorities and commitments that will define the Africa Health Workforce Agenda 2026-2035. This initiative marks a pivotal shift in how the continent approaches the planning, education, and retention of its health professionals, aiming to build a resilient and responsive health workforce for the future.
Collaborative Framework Established at Pretoria Summit
From November 24 to 26, 2025, representatives from Member States, professional regulatory bodies, academic institutions, development agencies, and technical experts convened in Pretoria under the auspices of the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Africa. The assembly reached consensus on a cohesive roadmap that will be officially ratified and launched by Member States in 2026, setting a clear direction for the continent’s health workforce development over the next decade.
Core Priorities for a Sustainable Health Workforce
The agreed-upon agenda emphasizes several critical areas: enhancing governance and leadership in health workforce management; modernizing and scaling up health education systems; improving job creation and retention strategies; mobilizing increased funding through the Africa Health Workforce Investment Charter; and embedding comprehensive labor market intelligence systems to inform policy and accountability.
Addressing the Growing Health Worker Deficit
Africa is projected to face a shortfall of approximately 6.1 million health workers by 2030. Despite a significant increase in the workforce-from 1.6 million in 2013 to 5.1 million in 2022-the continent continues to grapple with challenges such as misalignment between training outputs and labor market demands, outdated curricula overly focused on theory, chronic underfunding of training institutions, unemployment among recent graduates, and high rates of migration and attrition.
Urgency for Integrated Reforms
Participants underscored the necessity for comprehensive reforms that synchronize education, employment, financing, and service delivery. These reforms aim to build on recent progress and ensure that health workforce development is responsive to evolving health system needs.
Voices from the Frontline of Change
“This moment represents a critical turning point in how Africa plans, educates, deploys, and retains its health workforce,” stated Dr. Percy Mahlathi, Deputy Director-General of Hospital Services and Health Workforce Development at South Africa’s National Department of Health. “Through collective resolve and unity, Africa can cultivate a health workforce equipped to meet both current and future healthcare demands.”
Data-Driven Strategy Development
In preparation for the new agenda, WHO facilitated a July 2025 meeting where Member States updated their national health workforce data and assessed progress since the previous strategy’s implementation. Concurrently, a 17-member Expert Group reviewed evidence and identified key priorities to inform the Africa Health Workforce Agenda 2026-2035.
Looking Ahead: Formal Adoption and Implementation
The finalized Africa Health Workforce Agenda 2035 is slated for formal endorsement and launch by Member States in 2026. WHO has called upon governments, regional organizations, academic institutions, and development partners to maintain robust investment and political commitment to ensure the agenda’s successful execution and to drive transformative change in health workforce planning and education.
Strengthening Continental Commitment
Dr. James Asamani, Team Lead for Health Workforce at WHO Regional Office for Africa, remarked, “This consultation transcended technical discussions; it cemented a continent-wide pledge to revolutionize health workforce development. The consensus forged here offers a clear blueprint for the agenda that countries will officially adopt next year.”
Partnerships Fueling Progress
The Member State consultation, supported generously by the United Kingdom Department of Health and Social Care and the Global Fund, builds momentum for translating the Africa Health Workforce Investment Charter into tangible actions. This collaboration accelerates efforts to enhance health workforce education, employment, development, and retention across Africa.
