Abass Mahmoud Sillah Jr
Sierra Leone’s Minister of Health, Austin Demby, has urged African governments to shift focus from expanding workforce training to creating the financial capacity needed to employ health graduates across the continent. Dr. Demby made the call during the opening session of a high-level roundtable on “Turning Words into Action on Africa’s Health Workforce Investment.” The meeting is convened by the World Health Organization Regional Director and co-chaired by the health ministers of Ghana and the Central African Republic. Addressing participants, Dr. Demby emphasized that Africa has made notable progress in expanding health training institutions over the past decade.
However, he warned that the continent now faces a different and more pressing challenge—absorbing graduates into the workforce. “Africa has significantly expanded training capacity over the past decade, but governments must now deliberately finance employment,” he said. “Sierra Leone is approaching this as a fiscal commitment, backed by progressive budget allocations, health-related taxes, discussions around debt-for-health swaps, and the design of a Social Health Insurance Scheme.” The minister highlighted Sierra Leone’s evolving health labour market strategy, noting that it is guiding long-term workforce planning and investment across the sector.
He pointed to the country’s community health programme as a practical example, with plans to integrate 8,500 community health workers into the public service by 2030. According to Dr. Demby, the transition has been fully costed and is being pursued as a structured government policy designed to endure beyond annual budget cycles. “The financing plan is being developed as a deliberate commitment that will outlive short-term fiscal constraints,” he stated. He further noted that Sierra Leone’s National Health Strategic Plan (2026–2030) and the National Health Compact now provide a coordinated framework for investing in human resources for health, ensuring that development partners align their support with nationally defined priorities.
Reaffirming the government’s commitment, Dr. Demby said Sierra Leone remains focused on building a resilient and sustainable health workforce capable of advancing universal health coverage and strengthening primary healthcare systems nationwide. The roundtable is expected to generate actionable strategies for African countries to bridge the gap between health workforce training and employment, a challenge increasingly seen as critical to improving healthcare delivery across the continent.
