Human Resources for Health (HRH) is a critical pillar for strengthening health systems and achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in Africa. A well-functioning health workforce is essential for delivering quality healthcare services, responding effectively to health emergencies, and improving population health outcomes.
However, the African health workforce faces numerous challenges, most notably critical shortages, uneven distribution, inadequate financing, and the migration of skilled professionals. These issues hinder the continent’s progress toward its health goals and demand urgent attention.
Many African countries experience significant health workforce shortages, which undermine their capacity to deliver essential health services. This shortage is reflected in the consistently low density of key health workforce cadres in most regions of the continent.
At the same time, a paradox exists: while there is an overall shortage, many trained health professionals remain unemployed due to the limited capacity of national health systems to absorb and deploy them. This disconnect highlights the need not only to scale up training, but also to expand fiscal space and improve health workforce planning and governance.
Addressing these challenges requires substantial and strategic investment in health workforce education, employment, and retention. The HRH Investment Case provides important insights into the scale of investments needed, and the potential health and economic returns from such investments. The report demonstrates that prioritizing HRH development would generate significant benefits, including progress toward UHC, economic growth, and high returns on investment (ROI).
