WHO AFRO, Africa CDC assemble 3rd yearly health labor force technical evaluation conference

Johannesburg– The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Africa and the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) collectively assembled the Third Annual Technical Review and Planning Meeting on the Health Workforce from 10 to 14 August 2026 for English speaking nations and from 17 to 21 August 2026 for French and Portuguese speaking nations, combining Directors of Human Resources for Health and health labor force specialists from 37 Member States throughout the WHO African Region.

The conference supplied a tactical platform for nations to evaluate development on local and continental health labor force dedications and enhance application of National Health Workforce Accounts (NHWA).

The conference marked the very first time the Annual Technical Review and Planning Meeting was collectively arranged by WHO in Africa and Africa CDC, showing strengthened partnership in between the 2 organizations in supporting Member States to deal with consistent health labor force obstacles and advance universal health protection, health security, main healthcare and sustainable advancement throughout the continent.

“The conversations we are having actually are not separated technical workouts. Our goal is not just to evaluate development, however to develop plainly what need to occur next, who should act and what assistance nations need,” stated Dr Mathabo Mathebula, Acting Deputy Director General from the National Department of Health of South Africa throughout the opening of the conference.

The push comes following the launch of the 2026 State of Health Workforce in Africa report, which revealed that the WHO African Region continues to deal with considerable labor force obstacles and spaces. The Region had roughly 5.72 million health employees in 2024, satisfying just about 46% of approximated population health requirements, with a predicted lack of roughly 5.85 million health employees by 2030.

At the exact same time, almost one million skilled health specialists were jobless or underemployed, highlighting the requirement to much better link labor force preparation, training, work and funding. This proof is being utilized to assist actions to inform, use, and maintain Africa’s health employees to cut in half the lack by 2030. In addition, it kick-starts actions to track Africa’s health labor force ahead of the advancement and launch of the next State of Africa’s Health Workforce Report in 2028.

“This conference has actually for that reason been created to support nations to evaluate development versus nationwide, local, and continental health labor force dedications, and reinforce the quality, efficiency, recognition, and submission of National Health Workforce Accounts information for the 2026 reporting cycle,” stated Dr Adelheid Onyango, Director, Health Systems and Services, WHO Regional Office for Africa

For the 2025 information cycle, a minimum of 38 nations in the WHO African area (81%) have actually evaluated and verified their health labor force information and sent them through the National Health Workforce Accounts (NHWA) platform and the Africa Health Workforce Tracking and Accountability tool. The nations were additional supported to determine policy windows and establish action strategies to reinforce health labor force policies and broaden on the signs they would report on in the next year.

“The Africa Region is now the best-performing WHO area in regards to NHWA information schedule throughout indications and professions, with 10 nations in the Region making the leading 20 nations with greatest information accessibility ratings worldwide. This is a cumulative accomplishment that all of us must be happy about and do more to sustain and surpass,” stated Dr James Avoka Asamani, Team Lead, Health Workforce Unit, WHO Regional Office for Africa.

Thirty-seven nations, following their nationwide multisectoral procedures, finished the tracking and reporting of their health labor force through the nationwide health labor force account platform, a worldwide system of keeping track of health labor force characteristics.

“Reliable health labor force information is vital for preparation, financial investment and responsibility. This joint assembling reinforces execution of the African Union Health Workforce Task Team and provides Member States a typical basis to track development and line up action through AU structures,” stated Dr Tajudeen Raji, Acting Deputy Director-General of Africa CDC.

WHO and Africa CDC will continue dealing with Member States to reinforce health labor force information, preparation and financial investment and assistance nations in equating continental dedications into quantifiable nationwide action.