The Vice President, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, has called for urgent reforms to address Africa’s growing challenge of retaining trained health professionals, warning that the continent risks undermining years of investment in its health workforce if retention issues are not resolved.
Speaking at the Second Africa Health Workforce Investment Forum in Accra on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, the Vice President raised a central concern shaping discussions at the gathering: why African countries are able to train significant numbers of health workers, but struggle to keep them within their health systems.
She described the question as simple but critical, and one that should anchor policy discussions moving forward.
“What makes it so easy for us to use scarce resources to train, and what makes it so difficult for us to retain the people we have trained?” she asked.
The Vice President said the issue of retention must be treated as a core development priority, arguing that Africa’s health workforce is essential not only for healthcare delivery but also for broader economic and national development outcomes.
She stressed that effective deployment, sustainable employment, and dignified retention of health workers must be central to policy responses across the continent.
According to her, health outcomes are directly linked to productivity, human capital development, economic resilience, and national security, making the sector foundational to Africa’s long-term prosperity and aligned with the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
She noted that while Africa has made measurable progress over the past two decades, including improvements in life expectancy and expanded access to health services, these gains remain vulnerable without a stable and motivated workforce.
The Vice President’s remarks come amid growing concern over the migration of African health professionals to developed countries, where better working conditions and remuneration continue to attract critical staff away from domestic systems.
She urged stakeholders at the forum to prioritize practical solutions that ensure trained professionals are not only produced in sufficient numbers but also retained and supported to deliver quality care within their home countries.
The forum brought together policymakers, health experts, development partners, and labour stakeholders to discuss strategies for strengthening Africa’s health workforce and improving service delivery across the continent.
By Evelyn Tengmaa
