Training health workers without creating pathways to employ, retain them loss of public investment – AU Health Commissioner

The African Union (AU) Commissioner for Health, Ambassador Amma Twum-Amoah, has cautioned that investing in the training of health professionals without creating opportunities for their employment and retention amounts to a loss of public resources and human potential.

She said African countries must shift focus from merely increasing the number of trained health workers to developing sustainable systems that ensure professionals are recruited, fairly compensated, protected and retained.

Speaking at the African Union Extraordinary Health Summit in Accra on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, Ambassador Twum-Amoah highlighted what she described as a troubling contradiction on the continent, where many countries face critical shortages of health personnel while some trained professionals remain without jobs.

“We must invest decisively in the health workforce. Africa faces a profound paradox: severe shortages of health personnel coexist with unemployment among trained health professionals,” she said.

She stressed the need for governments to establish clear employment pathways for doctors, nurses, midwives, pharmacists, laboratory professionals, epidemiologists and community health workers after their training.

“Training health workers without creating pathways to employ and retain them is a loss of public investment and human potential,” she added.

The AU Health Commissioner also called for immediate measures to address factors driving health worker migration, including poor working conditions, limited opportunities for career progression and inadequate incentives.

She noted that strengthening Africa’s healthcare systems requires more than expanding the workforce, adding that countries must create supportive environments that encourage health professionals to remain and contribute to local healthcare delivery.

The Extraordinary Health Summit, held under the theme, “Advancing Justice, Equity and Universal Health Coverage: Ending AIDS, TB, Improving Maternal Health, Addressing Endemic Non-Communicable and Neglected Tropical Diseases and Conditions in Africa,” has brought together health leaders and stakeholders from across the continent to develop strategies aimed at improving health security and disease response.

The summit is expected to explore measures to accelerate progress towards universal health coverage, address major health challenges and strengthen healthcare systems to better respond to future public health emergencies.