The Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) has increased annual admissions into nursing schools from about 20,000 to 50,000 students as part of a wider strategy to tackle Nigeria’s shortage of healthcare professionals and strengthen the nation’s health workforce.

Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, announced the development during an interview with journalists over the weekend, describing it as one of several education reforms designed to produce the skilled workforce needed to support President Bola Tinubu’s ambition of building a $1 trillion economy by 2030.

According to the minister, the administration is making deliberate investments in human capital development by widening access to professional education in sectors considered critical to national development.

“We want to be the manpower supplier of the world. We need to produce competent, skilled and educated young Nigerians who will drive our economy, contribute to Africa’s growth and compete successfully across the world,” Alausa said.

Alausa explained that the Federal Government has significantly expanded admissions into health-related programmes to address long-standing shortages of healthcare workers across the country.

He noted that annual enrolment into nursing schools has risen from about 20,000 students before the current administration took office to approximately 50,000 students. He added that admissions into medicine, pharmacy and dentistry have also been substantially increased.

The minister expressed optimism that the reforms would significantly reduce the shortage of healthcare professionals over the next few years as more graduates enter the workforce.

“As the President advances his vision of building a one trillion-dollar economy, education will remain at the centre of that transformation,” he said.

Alausa credited the expansion of admissions to President Tinubu’s commitment to education and human capital development, describing education as the foundation for sustainable economic growth.

He also reaffirmed that the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) was established with long-term financial sustainability in mind.

“There is no value in introducing policies that cannot stand the test of time. Sustainability is central to this administration’s philosophy, and that principle guided the design of NELFUND,” he said.

The minister further stated that the administration has restored industrial harmony across tertiary institutions through sustained engagement with academic and non-academic staff unions. According to him, the improved stability is helping to deliver better outcomes in the higher education sector.

Nigeria has continued to grapple with a shortage of nurses and other healthcare professionals, a challenge linked to years of underinvestment in training capacity and the growing migration of health workers to countries offering better pay and working conditions. The situation has placed increased pressure on healthcare delivery, particularly at the primary and secondary healthcare levels.

In response, the Federal Government has expanded admissions into nursing and other health-related programmes while increasing investment in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and other human capital development initiatives.

The expansion also comes amid growing concerns over the “Japa” phenomenon, which has resulted in thousands of Nigerian-trained nurses and doctors relocating abroad in recent years, leaving significant gaps in the country’s healthcare workforce. The government maintains that expanding training capacity is essential to meeting domestic healthcare demands while positioning Nigeria as a global supplier of skilled professionals.

Source: Punch