The Federal Government has has informed that Nigeria will need an estimated 315,000 community health workers by 2030 to strengthen primary healthcare delivery and expand access to essential health services across the country.
Vice President Kashim Shettima, disclosed this when he represented President Bola Tinubu, at the launch of the Community Health Programme Continental Acceleration Plan 2026–2030 in Abuja.
Shettima said government is working to address the shortfall as it plans to recruit 100,000 salaried community health workers by the end of 2028, alongside efforts to train frontline health personnel and revitalise primary healthcare centres.
The continental initiative brings together 51 African countries and more than 30 partners to accelerate the employment of two million community health workers across Africa by 2030.Get
Shettima said community health workers played critical roles in identifying maternal health risks, reaching unvaccinated children, collecting household health data and detecting disease outbreaks.
He stressed the need for the workers to receive legal recognition, reliable remuneration, adequate support and equitable deployment, noting that a properly supported community health workforce was essential to sustainable primary healthcare delivery.
The Vice President said the Federal Government was pursuing the recruitment target under the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative, which also includes plans to revitalise more than 17,000 primary healthcare centres and train 120,000 frontline health workers.
He also called on African countries to strengthen domestic financing for community health programmes, warning against continued dependence on external funding.
According to him, countries must develop nationally owned implementation plans, provide dedicated budgets and establish effective monitoring frameworks to ensure that commitments translate into measurable improvements in healthcare delivery.
Providing a continental perspective, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said the target of employing two million community health workers across Africa builds on a 2017 African Union commitment, which has so far been achieved by just over half.
The agency estimated that Africa would require $4.3bn annually to meet the target, adding that every $1 invested could generate up to $19 in economic and social benefits.
It identified Nigeria’s commitment to employing 100,000 salaried community health workers as a significant contribution towards achieving the continental target.
Also speaking, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Salako, described the initiative as an important step towards strengthening community health systems and advancing primary healthcare delivery across Africa, and commended President Tinubu for approving Nigeria hosting the high-level event.
Contributing, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Muhammad Pate, represented by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Daju Kachollom, expressed the Ministry’s commitment to strengthening primary healthcare and expanding the community health workforce in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda and the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative.
Kachollom acknowledged the contributions of the African Union Commission, Africa CDC, development partners and other stakeholders, stressing that sustained investment, effective partnerships and coordinated implementation would be crucial to achieving the plan’s objectives.
