Nursing workforce development in Sub-Saharan Africa: A global advocacy action plan

Abstract

<p>The global population is estimated to be 9.7 billion by 2050⁵. Of the top ten countries with the largest expected population growth, five are in Sub-Saharan Africa: Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Uganda. These population growth trends will exacerbate an already existing strain in regions that have a disproportionate ratio of healthcare workers to disease burden. Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for 3% of the global healthcare workforce but sees 24% of the global disease burden⁶. Furthermore, the global nursing workforce is expected to have a shortage of 5.7 million nurses by 2030, and Africa is projected to fall short of the region&rsquo;s necessary professional growth⁷. Therefore, we present this comprehensive global advocacy action plan for Nursing Workforce Development in Sub-Saharan Africa which addresses recommendations to improve disparities including curriculum reform, professional regulation, transformative teaching, collaboration and partnerships, and capacity building including resources and infrastructure⁸.</p>