Return of Ebola: Africa CDC, Nigeria Target 2m Community Health Workers by 2030

Return of Ebola: Africa CDC, Nigeria Target 2m Community Health Workers by 2030

By Our Health Correspondent

Abuja (Core Reporters) – The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the Federal Government of Nigeria have intensified efforts to recruit, train, deploy and retain two million community health workers across Africa by 2030 amid recurring Ebola outbreaks and other public health emergencies.

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 deliberate on strategies to strengthen disease surveillance and improve emergency response across the continent.

The forum is being convened 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.

The urgency of the initiative is underscored by figures showing that 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.

Organisers said trained, equipped and adequately supported community health workers were essential to detecting disease threats early, strengthening surveillance systems, engaging communities and facilitating 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 are also expected to develop costed national community health worker acceleration plans covering 2026 to 2030, with discussions focusing on domestic financing, recruitment, employment, deployment and staff retention.

A high-level ministerial session scheduled for Friday, October 30, is expected to secure political and financial commitments while establishing continental priorities for workforce investment and accountability.

Beyond outbreak response, the meeting will examine how community health workers can strengthen primary healthcare delivery, improve maternal and child health outcomes, reach children who h routine vaccinations and enhance preparedness for emerging disease threats.