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On this May 12, 2025, International Nurses Day highlights a theme that is both essential and urgent: “Our Nurses. Our Future. The Economic Power of Care”, as declared by the International Council of Nurses (ICN). This message resonates deeply across Africa, where nurses are often the backbone of health systems, particularly in rural and underserved areas.
On our continent, nurses are much more than care providers. They are health educators, case managers, and often the only accessible health professionals for remote populations. They play a vital role in achieving universal health coverage by providing quality primary care and actively engaging in prevention and health promotion.
However, these professionals face many challenges. The shortage of nurses is alarming: in 2020, Benin had only 2.9 nurses and midwives per 10,000 people, compared to 122 in Europian country. This situation is worsened by the migration of healthcare workers to countries offering better working conditions and higher pay. Nigeria, for instance, has lost 75,000 nurses in five years, prompting authorities to impose a two-year moratorium on departures abroad.
In response to these challenges, initiatives are emerging to strengthen the nursing profession in Africa. The ICN’s ODENNA program aims to increase the influence of nurses’ associations on the continent by developing leadership and supporting professional development. Additionally, continuing education projects and task-shifting programs—such as those implemented in Niger and Côte d’Ivoire—help enhance nurses’ skills and improve access to care in rural areas.
On this International Nurses Day, it is crucial to recognize and support the central role of nurses in Africa. Investing in their well-being, training, and professional recognition is key to strengthening health systems and ensuring a healthy future for our communities.
To all the nurses of Africa: thank you for your dedication, resilience, and unwavering commitment to the health of our people.
Team Afiya
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Lusaka — African health ministers and partners are calling for increased investment in integrated health services to address the growing burden of severe noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), particularly those affecting women and underserved populations across the region. At a high-level side event during the Seventy-fifth session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa, delegates emphasized the urgent need for equitable access to prevention, screening, treatment, and rehabilitation across the continuum of care for NCDs. Disparities are especially pronounced in rural areas, where health infrastructure and services remain inadequate. Breast and cervical cancers are among the leading causes of cancer-related deaths among women in sub-Saharan Africa—particularly cervical cancer, which is both preventable and treatable. It remains the most common cause of cancer death for women in the region. In 2022, Africa accounted for nearly a quarter (23%) of the 76 000 global cervical cancer deaths. Meanwhile, severe NCDs such as Type 1 diabetes, sickle cell disease, and heart conditions claim more than half a million lives annually, including among children, adolescents, and young adults in some of the continent’s poorest communities. Inequitable access to health services continues to hinder efforts to reduce this burden. To improve cervical and breast cancer care in the region, urgent investment is needed in leadership, governance, and financing. Strengthening these foundations is critical in the current funding landscape. Advancements in strategic planning, healthcare infrastructure, workforce training, and—most importantly—equitable access to screening, diagnostic, and treatment services are essential. To address these challenges, WHO and its partners showcased successful integrated models such as the Women’s Integrated Care for Cancer Services (WICS), the BEAT Breast Cancer Project, and the PEN-Plus Strategy. WICS strengthens early detection, treatment, and integration of women’s cancer services into primary health care systems in Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, and Zimbabwe. The BEAT Breast Cancer Project is a transformative multi-year initiative aimed at reducing breast cancer mortality among women in Tanzania and Ghana through early detection, timely diagnosis, and comprehensive treatment access. “PEN-Plus, WICS and the BEAT Breast Cancer Initiative are models for a new standard of care, rooted in equity, access and health justice. I urge countries to prioritize policies that embed these models into broader health system strengthening, said Dr Mohamed Janabi, WHO Regional Director for Africa”. Côte d’Ivoire offers a compelling example of progress, combining high HPV vaccination coverage—reaching over three million girls (91.4%)—with WICS-supported community-based screening campaigns to strengthen cervical cancer prevention. In Kenya, cervical cancer screening has been successfully integrated into national health services. “This gathering marks a pivotal moment to accelerate action for breast cancer prevention in Africa. We deeply value the leadership of the Ministries of Health of Ghana and Tanzania, and the steadfast support of the Pfizer Foundation in helping us achieve this milestone. The side event builds momentum for the policy prioritization of women’s cancers, partnerships to strengthen the broader women’s cancer ecosystem, and advance a health-systems approach to breast cancer prevention and management”, said Dr Somesh Kumar, Senior Director, Jhpiego. PEN-Plus expands access to care for severe NCDs at the district hospital level. Since its implementation, 20 countries in Africa have increased access to services for severe NCDs. Over 15 000 people are currently receiving treatment for chronic conditions such as sickle cell disease and Type 1 diabetes through PEN-Plus clinics.
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