Africa needs 6.1 million more health workers by 2030, and WHO just wrapped up a week-long push in Johannesburg to tackle this massive shortage, according to a press release from World Health Organization (WHO)‘s Africa office.
More than 30 countries met from July 7-12 to work on three big problems: getting better data on health workers, putting the Africa Health Workforce Investment Charter into action, and planning the next steps for training and keeping medical staff. Dr James Avoka Asamani, WHO’s health workforce team leader for Africa, says these meetings mark “a turning point in how we think about and act on health workforce development in Africa.” The challenge is huge—Africa faces both a worker shortage and rising unemployment among health professionals due to budget cuts.
WHO organized three connected events to address different pieces of the puzzle. Countries spent the first two days updating their health worker data through National Health Workforce Accounts, which helps track who works where and what gaps exist. This information will feed into a 2026 report on Africa’s health workforce and create an investment scorecard for countries to measure their progress.
The main event focused on helping eleven “frontier” countries adapt the Africa Health Workforce Investment Charter to their specific needs. These countries are leading the way in trying new approaches to hire, train, and keep health workers. They worked on plans to close workforce gaps, cut waste, and create more jobs for medical professionals. An investment scorecard launches in January 2026 to help countries track their progress and hold themselves accountable.
The week ended with experts drafting a new Africa Health Workforce Development Agenda called “Plan, Train and Retain.” This plan will replace the current framework that expires in 2025 and goes to WHO’s Regional Committee next year for approval. South Africa’s health chief Dr Sandile Buthelezi noted how better workforce data helps his country answer tough questions from parliament about staffing and vacancies.
WHO’s Dr Adelheid Onyango says the week helped countries “align national priorities with regional and global frameworks” while sharing new ideas for sustainable health workforce investment. Instead of scattered efforts, Africa is moving toward coordinated, country-led strategies that respond to what each nation actually needs.
