FG Seeks Stronger ECOWAS Cooperation on Health Workforce Training and Retention

 

By Atlantic Reports

The Federal Government has called for stronger cooperation among Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) member countries to improve the training, accreditation and retention of health professionals across the region.

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, made the call on Monday at the 11th Statutory Meeting of the Regional Council for Health Professionals Education in Abuja.

Represented by the Director of Health Planning, Research and Statistics in the ministry, Dr John Ovuoraye, Pate said a competent and resilient health workforce was essential to addressing the region’s growing healthcare challenges.

He identified emerging infectious diseases, non-communicable diseases, health emergencies, workforce shortages and professional migration as major concerns requiring coordinated regional responses.

Focus on Training Standards and Accreditation

Pate said the quality of healthcare systems depended significantly on the competence and availability of health professionals, making investment in their education and development a strategic priority.

He commended the West African Health Organization (WAHO) for promoting cooperation and harmonising health professionals’ education across West Africa.

The minister urged the regional council to strengthen competency-based curricula, accreditation procedures, quality assurance, mutual recognition of professional qualifications, faculty development and collaboration among training institutions.

He also called for the integration of research, digital health, artificial intelligence and innovative learning methods into professional education to prepare graduates for changing healthcare demands.

Nigeria Highlights Workforce Reforms

Pate said the Federal Government recognised human resources for health as a central component of its Renewed Hope Agenda and ongoing health sector reforms.

He said Nigeria was committed to strengthening training institutions, improving professional standards, addressing workforce shortages and unequal distribution, and promoting better working conditions and career development.

According to him, the objective should go beyond increasing the number of trained professionals to ensuring they possess the right competencies and are deployed where their services are most needed.

He reaffirmed Nigeria’s willingness to work with WAHO, ECOWAS member states, professional regulatory bodies, academic institutions and development partners to improve health professionals’ education across the region.

Pate urged the council to assess progress, identify outstanding challenges and agree on practical, measurable and time-bound actions.

He said the meeting's resolutions should lead to effective implementation, stronger institutional partnerships and improved training standards.

WAHO Explains Regional Council's Mandate

Speaking on the objectives of the meeting, the Head of Training and Human Resources for Health at WAHO, Prof. Joseph Olorunda, said the Regional Council for Health Professionals Education was established in 2012 through a resolution of the ECOWAS Assembly of Health Ministers in Conakry.

He explained that the council's membership structure was subsequently modified in 2020.

According to Olorunda, the council is responsible for accrediting training programmes for different categories and disciplines of health professionals across ECOWAS member states.

Its membership includes accredited West African professional colleges, deans of health sciences faculties, the African and Malagasy Council for Higher Education (CAMES), and national academic and professional regulatory bodies.

He said other relevant stakeholders could also be invited when necessary, while WAHO serves as the council's secretariat.

The council's responsibilities include establishing and reviewing training standards, ensuring that harmonised curricula meet agreed regional requirements, and accrediting training programmes and institutions in collaboration with relevant organisations.

Meeting to Review Qualification Recognition Framework

Olorunda said participants would review draft guidelines for harmonising university education systems across ECOWAS countries.

They would also examine the regional framework for recognising health professionals’ qualifications and establishing equivalence among certificates issued by different member states.

Other items on the agenda include reviewing the roadmap for developing and training the regional health workforce, considering criteria for certificate recognition and equivalence, and making recommendations to improve the council's operations.

Regional Mobility and Knowledge Exchange

Olorunda said WAHO would continue supporting coordinated efforts to train, develop, motivate and retain health professionals across West Africa.

He added that the organisation was working to advance universal health coverage through the recognition and equivalence of professional qualifications among ECOWAS countries.

The initiatives are also intended to facilitate cross-border movement of health professionals, exchange of skills and knowledge, training of trainers and joint research networks.

The proposed regional harmonisation could make it easier for qualified professionals to practise across member states while strengthening common standards for healthcare education.

However, its effectiveness will depend on how consistently countries implement agreed standards, address differences in national regulatory systems and improve the working conditions that influence health professionals’ decisions to remain in the region.

Atlantic Reports: Voices. People. Facts.