Johannesburg – The World Health Group (WHO) Regional Office for Africa, in partnership with Member States and key stakeholders, has concluded a landmark week of working sessions in Johannesburg geared toward transforming Africa’s health workforce panorama. Held from 7 to 12 July 2025, the sessions targeted on strengthening workforce data techniques to discover health labour market, operationalizing the Africa Health Workforce Investment Structure, and shaping the next regional thought for health workforce vogue.
Africa faces a projected shortfall of 6.1 million health workers by 2030 amidst rate range constraints and raising unemployment of health workers. To kind out this instruct, WHO convened over 30 Member States and companions for three interlinked occasions:
On 7–8 July, nations gathered for a technical session on “Monitoring Africa’s Health Workforce: From Recordsdata to Action”, updating their national data thru the National Health Workforce Accounts (NHWA). This initiative helps generate steady, up-to-date health labour market intelligence to handbook proof-suggested planning, helpful resource mobilization, and coverage reforms. This present health workforce data will expose the 2026 edition of the Instruct of Health Workforce in Africa represent, the Africa health workforce investment scorecard, and global evaluation of the ten years of implementation of the Global Technique on HRH.
The central event, held on 9–10 July, became the Country Adaptation and Planning Workshop for the Africa Health Workforce Investment Structure. Eleven (11) Early Adopter or ‘frontier’ nations at varied stages of enforcing the Africa Health Workforce Investment Structure had been supported to salvage tailored operational plans to plug up growth, which promotes multisectoral collaboration and aligned investment to discontinuance workforce gaps, chop inefficiencies, and foster job introduction and retention. The growth replace will form the Africa Health Workforce Investment Scorecard, to be launched in January 2026 as a tool for benchmarking and accountability in the implementation of the health workforce investment structure. The beginning can even commemorate the institution of the Regional Health Workforce Investment Advisory Committee by the WHO Regional Director to steer strategic investments and partnerships – a key dedication of the Structure.
Wrapping up the week, from 11–12 July, a technical professional neighborhood will review the available proof disagreeable to draft the Africa Health Workforce Construction Agenda: Intention, Put together and Befriend. The agenda, which will help as a successor to the present regional framework for health workforce vogue (2012–2025), is predicted to be presented by the WHO Regional Director for consideration at by 76th WHO Regional Committee in 2026.
“These sessions label a turning level in how we take into sage and act on health workforce vogue in Africa,” stated Dr James Avoka Asamani, Health Workforce Team Chief, WHO Regional Office for Africa “We are shifting from fragmented approaches to nation-led, accomplice-aligned investment methods that reply straight to national wants.”
“This working session is a severe step in translating the Structure’s vision into nation-led, context-explicit action. It is an different to align national priorities with regional and global frameworks, to half enhancements, and to manufacture momentum for sustainable investment in our health workforce.” Dr Adelheid Onyango, Performing Director of Health Programs and Services Cluster, WHO Regional office for Africa.
Opening the conferences, Authorities of South Africa – the host that also doubles because the G20 Presidency for 2025, Dr Sandile Buthelezi, Director-Identical earlier of the National Department of Health underscored investing in the Health and Care Workforce for Inclusive Verbalize had been on the forefront of the G20 South African presidency with the ministry motivated by the different to explicit the rep 22 situation of the Windhoek Assertion.
“Zooming in to South Africa, we now had been exposed to the value-add of the National Health Workforce Account following the frequency of parliamentary questions starting from distribution, vacancies to norms. Despite being work-in-growth, the sage has been ready to provide credibility and self belief into our responses. We stay optimistic that the sage will proceed to be the severe facet of our HRH Technique.” Dr Buthelezi stated.
Ms Shenaaz EL-Halabi, WHO Country Manual to South Africa in her opening remarks highlighted the significance of monitoring the health workforce vogue in Africa, noting that “Over the last five years, we now private seen nations use NHWA to power national agendas—organising governance mechanisms, figuring out various data sources, strengthening human helpful resource data techniques, and fostering a conference of data use.”
Across the week, participants received fingers-on abilities in workforce planning, data evaluation, costing, and advocacy. As well they laid the foundations for tag contemporary investment compacts and regional accountability mechanisms that can help translate plans into results.
By bringing together data, map, and multisectoral dedication, WHO is paving the diagram for a stronger, more resilient health workforce, individual who’s obligatory for turning in Universal Health Protection and driving sustainable vogue in Africa.
