Africa Just Committed to 3 Million More Health Workers. Here Is How to Position Yourself

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by Impactpool

Health ministers across Africa have adopted a ten-year programme to train, employ and retain 3 million additional health workers by 2035. The opening is real, and it is not only clinical: the same plan names workforce planning, employment and retention as the problems to solve, which is where non-clinical careers in health systems, financing and workforce management come in. Here is what was agreed and how to position yourself for it.

Africa’s Health Workforce Plan Is Creating a New Hiring Opportunity

Africa’s health workforce is at a turning point. Across the continent, countries are working to expand their health systems while facing a striking challenge: trained professionals are available, but the systems needed to employ, deploy and retain them are not keeping pace. The WHO Health Workforce Management Programme in Africa 2026 to 2035 aims to help change that. Adopted by WHO African Member States, the programme targets training, employing, and retaining 3 million additional health workers by 2035. The emphasis matters. This is not simply about training more people. It is about creating the systems, jobs and working environments that allow health professionals to use their skills where they are needed most. For professionals working across global health and development, that creates a new set of opportunities.

Africa needs more than health workers

WHO’s State of the Health Workforce in Africa 2026 highlights a major gap between the continent’s health workforce needs and its capacity to employ and retain trained professionals. Around 943,000 trained health workers were unemployed in 2024, even as countries continued to face significant workforce shortages. This tells us something important. The challenge is not only about how many people we train. It is about whether countries have the planning, financing, jobs and workforce systems needed to put those skills to work. That is where professionals across the impact sector can make a difference.

Three areas will shape the next decade

The WHO programme is built around three interconnected priorities: plan, train and retain.

1. Plan

Countries need better data to understand where health workers are needed today and which skills they will need tomorrow. This creates opportunities for professionals working in:

  • Health workforce planning

  • Data and analytics

  • Labour market analysis

  • Health information systems

  • Policy and strategy

  • Monitoring and evaluation

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If you can turn workforce data into better decisions, your skills can help countries build stronger and more responsive health systems.

2. Train

Expanding the health workforce also means strengthening the systems that prepare people for the jobs ahead. This includes curriculum development, competency frameworks, accreditation, capacity building and partnerships with training institutions.

Professionals with experience in education, skills development, public health and programme management all have a role to play.

3. Retain

Training people only creates impact when they can find meaningful work and build sustainable careers. Retention therefore sits at the heart of the new agenda.

It includes:

  • Workforce financing

  • Recruitment and deployment

  • Payroll and workforce systems

  • Working conditions

  • Rural and underserved area staffing

  • Migration and mobility

  • Workforce policy

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These challenges require expertise from far beyond the clinical profession. They require people who understand how organisations, labour markets, governments and communities work together.

You do not need to be a doctor to contribute

Global health is a multidisciplinary field. A stronger health workforce needs clinicians, but it also needs economists, data specialists, HR professionals, educators, policy experts, programme managers and monitoring and evaluation specialists. Your existing experience may already connect to this work. The opportunity is to recognise that connection and make it clear. Instead of presenting yourself simply as a global health professional, identify the problem you know how to solve.

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For example: Health workforce planning specialist with experience using workforce data to support health systems across West Africa or: Programme manager specialising in health workforce development, capacity building and retention

Clear positioning helps organisations understand not only what you have done, but where you can contribute next. 

You can also explore Impactpool’s career resources for practical guidance on positioning your experience and navigating international development careers.

Look beyond the biggest organisations

WHO will play an important role in delivering this agenda, but it will take a much broader global community to turn a ten-year ambition into reality. Governments, UN agencies, development banks, NGOs, training institutions and implementing partners will all need people with the right expertise. That means opportunities may appear in places you do not immediately associate with health workforce careers. It is worth looking beyond individual vacancies and following the programmes, partnerships and investments shaping the sector. Impactpool’s talent pool and roster resources also explain how organisations are preparing for future workforce needs by identifying skills before vacancies arise.

Your expertise can be part of the solution

Africa’s health workforce challenge is complex, but the direction is becoming clearer. Countries need to plan better, train effectively and retain the people who make health systems work. That requires a global community of professionals bringing different skills, experiences and perspectives to the same challenge. If you work in health systems, data, HR, education, financing, policy or programme management, your expertise can contribute. You don't have to wait for the perfect vacancy to start preparing. Build your understanding of the countries and workforce challenges you want to work on. Connect your experience to the skills these programmes need. Follow the organisations delivering the work. And make your contribution visible. The next decade of health workforce development is already taking shape. All of us have a role in helping build stronger health systems and better opportunities for the people who depend on them.

Frequently asked questions

How many additional health workers does the programme target?

The WHO Health Workforce Management Programme in Africa 2026 to 2035 targets training, employing, and retaining 3 million additional health workers by 2035.

Do I need a clinical background?

No. Health workforce programmes need expertise across planning, data, financing, HR, education, policy and programme management as well as clinical care.

Why are trained health workers unemployed when Africa has a shortage?

The challenge is not simply the number of trained professionals. Countries also need the financing, positions, workforce planning and systems required to employ and retain them.

Where can I find health workforce opportunities?

Impactpool features opportunities across WHO, UN agencies, NGOs and other organisations working in global health and development. Explore current opportunities.

Find your place in the global impact community

No single organisation, profession, or country will solve the health workforce challenge.

It will take people with different expertise working together towards a shared goal.

Your experience could be part of that effort.