The West African Health Organization (WAHO) and health sector stakeholders are reviewing a regional work plan to improve the motivation and retention of health workers across Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) member countries, amid concerns over workforce shortages and the migration of skilled professionals.
The meeting, held in Abuja on Monday, aims to develop practical strategies to improve working conditions, strengthen professional development and encourage health workers to remain in the region. Stakeholders said the plan would focus on better remuneration, career advancement, supportive workplaces and regional cooperation to improve healthcare delivery across West Africa.
The President of the West African College of Surgeons (WACS), Prof. Ibrahim Yakasai, said effective workforce retention was essential to providing sustainable, quality and accessible healthcare services.
Yakasai, who was represented by Consultant Ophthalmologist Prof. Foluso Owoeye, said this in a goodwill message at the meeting, commending WAHO for its leadership and commitment to strengthening health systems across ECOWAS member states.
He said the meeting offered stakeholders an opportunity to address challenges threatening the sustainability, quality and accessibility of healthcare services in the sub-region.
According to him, the strength of a healthcare system depends not only on infrastructure and modern technology but also on the competence, commitment, motivation and availability of health professionals.
Yakasai said West Africa continued to experience increasing health worker migration, commonly known as brain drain or *japa* in Nigeria, with serious consequences for healthcare delivery.
He expressed concern that the WACS had invested considerable financial and institutional resources in training healthcare professionals, only for many to leave the region in search of better opportunities.
He questioned the value of training health workers without creating an enabling environment that would encourage them to remain, practise, develop professionally and serve their communities.
The WACS president stressed that retaining health workers should be treated as a strategic investment in human capital rather than merely an employment issue.
He urged stakeholders to ensure that the regional work plan contained realistic and implementable strategies, supported by clear actions, measurable targets, timelines and institutional accountability.
Yakasai also called for stronger links between professional training and workforce retention through specialist training, mentorship, research opportunities and career advancement.
He advocated greater cooperation among ECOWAS member states to promote fairer workforce distribution, professional mobility, mutual support and the sharing of expertise.
He further emphasised the need to involve health workers in policy development, warning that strategies developed without considering their aspirations, frustrations and experiences might fail to achieve their objectives.
Yakasai reaffirmed WACS’s commitment to working with WAHO and national governments on training, workforce retention, mentorship, research and policy advocacy.
He said the success of the work plan would ultimately be measured by the number of healthcare professionals who chose to remain, serve and thrive in West Africa.
Meanwhile, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Salako, called for stronger regional collaboration to address health workforce shortages and improve the motivation and retention of health professionals.
Salako, who was represented by Dr John Ovuoraye, Director and Head of the Department of Health Planning, Research and Statistics, described the review as timely.
He said the meeting coincided with regional and continental initiatives aimed at addressing healthcare workforce challenges, including activities marking the 50th anniversary of the West African College of Physicians.
According to Salako, the regional work plan should complement broader continental efforts to strengthen healthcare delivery and improve the availability of health workers across Africa.
He said the African Union was pursuing a continental action plan to deploy two million community health workers by 2028.
Salako explained that the regional framework on motivation and retention could support the initiative by encouraging health workers to remain in their communities and strengthen local healthcare systems.
He noted that workforce challenges varied across countries, making it necessary to develop approaches that reflected national needs while promoting regional cooperation.
The minister also highlighted the role of professional colleges in training specialists and other healthcare professionals to provide essential services and strengthen health systems.
Addressing Nigeria’s response to a confirmed Ebola disease case, Salako urged participants to observe established public health precautions.
He clarified that Nigeria had not banned public gatherings following the confirmation, explaining that Ebola spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people rather than through the air.
He encouraged participants to observe infection prevention measures, including hand sanitisation and avoiding direct physical contact where appropriate.
Salako also urged African countries to strengthen disease surveillance and response systems, noting that cross-border movement and trade made regional cooperation essential.
Earlier, WAHO Director-General Prof. Palokinam Pitche said the meeting was convened to finalise the regional work plan on health workforce motivation and retention.
Pitche explained that the meeting was part of a series of workshops designed to strengthen regional health systems and develop practical responses to workforce challenges.
He said discussions would focus on identifying specific challenges, examining country experiences, developing strategies and defining the roles of governments and partners in implementing the plan.
According to him, health workers remained central to healthcare delivery, as infrastructure and technology alone could not guarantee quality services without skilled and motivated personnel.
He said healthcare systems required adequately trained professionals to prevent, diagnose and treat diseases, as well as provide rehabilitation and other essential services.
Pitche identified differences in professional training, admission requirements, study duration and recognition of qualifications across countries as challenges requiring regional attention.
He said variations in training standards and certificate equivalencies could complicate professional mobility and efforts to harmonise health workforce development across the region.
The WAHO director-general emphasised that workforce retention was a public health priority, warning that healthcare infrastructure might fail to deliver expected results without adequately motivated personnel.
Also speaking, the Head of Training and Human Resources for Health at WAHO, Prof. Joseph Olorunda, presented the meeting’s objectives and expected outcomes, outlining proposed measures to improve health worker motivation and retention.
Olorunda said the strategies included competitive and timely remuneration, recognition programmes, supportive leadership, mentorship and access to continuous professional development.
He added that other proposed measures included clear career progression pathways, safe and adequately equipped workplaces, housing and transportation support, and incentives for professionals working in rural and underserved communities.
According to him, the work plan also emphasised political commitment to healthcare workforce planning, evidence-based decision-making and policies aligned with national health system needs.
Olorunda called for collaboration among governments, multilateral institutions and bilateral partners to strengthen workforce management and reduce pressures contributing to health worker migration.
He also highlighted the importance of regional cooperation in addressing workforce shortages and promoting the equitable distribution of healthcare professionals across ECOWAS member countries.
He said the proposed call to action urged governments to invest in healthcare personnel alongside infrastructure, create supportive working environments and recognise health workers as valuable national assets.
Olorunda added that effective retention policies could help ensure that trained professionals remained motivated, productive and committed to serving communities across West Africa.
