By Fatima Saka
Ongoing Ebola outbreaks and other public health emergencies have prompted the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the Federal Government of Nigeria to intensify efforts to recruit, train, deploy and retain two million community health workers across Africa by 2030.
The initiative will take centre stage at a high-level forum scheduled for October 28 to 30, 2026, in Abuja, where African ministers of health and finance, senior government officials, development partners and community health representatives will discuss strategies to strengthen disease surveillance and improve emergency response.
The forum will be held under the political leadership of President Bola Tinubu, Nigeria’s African Union Champion for Human Resources for Health, in collaboration with the Community Health Delivery Partnership and other continental partners.
According to a media advisory issued on Wednesday, October 21, the meeting will focus on securing political commitments, sustainable financing and national action plans to accelerate the development of Africa’s community health workforce.
Africa had an estimated 1.15 million community health workers in 2024, while the projected shortage across the broader health workforce could reach 5.85 million by 2030, highlighting the scale of the challenge facing the continent.
The organisers said trained, equipped and supported community health workers were essential for detecting disease threats early, strengthening surveillance, engaging communities and supporting rapid responses to public health emergencies.
The forum will feature the launch of the Continental Community Health Acceleration Plan, the Continental Community Health Programme Scorecard and the next cycle of the Continental Community Health Landscape Survey.
Participants will also work towards developing costed national community health worker acceleration plans for 2026 to 2030, alongside discussions on domestic financing, employment, deployment and retention.
The high-level ministerial session on Friday, October 30, is expected to secure political and financial commitments and establish continental priorities for workforce investment and accountability.
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The meeting will also examine how community health workers can strengthen primary healthcare, improve maternal and child health, reach children who have not received routine vaccinations and enhance preparedness for disease outbreaks.
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