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Shettima

Vice President Kashim Shettima has reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to securing legal recognition, reliable salaries and improved working conditions for community health workers as Nigeria joins other African countries in strengthening primary healthcare delivery.

Shettima said fair remuneration, professional certification, effective supervision and career development were essential to building a sustainable community health workforce capable of improving healthcare access and responding to disease outbreaks.

He spoke on Thursday in Abuja at the launch of the Community Health Programme Continental Acceleration Plan 2026–2030 during the Continental High-Level Forum on a Fit-for-Purpose Health Workforce.

The Vice President said community health workers played a critical role in identifying health emergencies, detecting outbreaks, supporting maternal healthcare and ensuring that children received essential vaccinations.

He warned that governments could not achieve universal health coverage while neglecting the welfare of frontline healthcare personnel, particularly those serving remote and underserved communities.

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“We cannot afford the luxury of taking our community health workers for granted,” Shettima said.

He added that the distance between a household and a health worker could determine whether a patient survived, stressing the need to expand access to healthcare regardless of where Nigerians lived.

Shettima described President Bola Tinubu as a leading advocate for health financing reforms in Africa, citing the administration’s Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative, which he said had secured more than $2.2 billion in commitments.

According to him, the initiative includes plans to revitalise more than 17,000 primary healthcare centres and train 120,000 frontline health workers.

The government is also targeting 100,000 salaried community health workers by 2027, while acknowledging that Nigeria’s workforce remains below the estimated 315,000 workers required by 2030.

Shettima noted that shrinking international health financing posed a challenge to African countries, many of which depend heavily on donor support to sustain community health programmes.

He urged governments to strengthen domestic financing and adopt coordinated national plans to ensure reliable funding for healthcare personnel, medical supplies and essential services.

The continental acceleration plan, he said, would prioritise workforce development, primary healthcare integration, digital systems, service delivery, financing and accountability.

The programme’s ambitious funding scenario requires approximately $28 billion through 2030 and projects $19 in economic and social benefits for every dollar invested, according to the Vice President.

Earlier, Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Salako, said Nigeria remained committed to the African Union’s target of deploying two million community health workers across the continent by 2030.

He described the plan as a practical framework for strengthening disease surveillance, improving primary healthcare and protecting vulnerable populations.

Egypt’s Deputy Minister of Health for Population and Family Development, Dr Abla Al-Alfi, also called for stronger primary healthcare systems and greater support for community health workers to improve maternal and family health outcomes.

The Traffic NG
Vice President Kashim Shettima
Amarachi Ihesiulo

Ihesiulo Grace Amarachi is a Nigerian journalist, writer and media professional serving as the Editor-in-Chief of TheTraffic.NG, a digital news platform covering national and international affairs. Her editorial interests span politics, business, aviation, health, technology, entertainment, sports and social development. She is committed to credible journalism, insightful reporting and compelling storytelling that informs public discourse and keeps readers abreast of important developments in Nigeria, Africa and beyond.

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