As the world celebrates International Nurses Day 2025, a sobering warning from the World Health Organisation (WHO) casts a long shadow over Africa’s struggling healthcare systems: 42% of the continent’s nurses are actively planning to leave.
The message, delivered by Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, Acting WHO Regional Director for Africa, paints a grim picture of a looming collapse a mass exodus of Africa’s most vital health professionals, driven by neglect, exploitation, and systemic failure.
“Our nurses are not just burned out they are being pushed out,” Ihekweazu said, citing poor pay, unsafe conditions, and a lack of career progression as major reasons.
Nursing on the Edge: A Crisis in Numbers
Over 15,000 Nigerian nurses obtained verification to work abroad between 2021 and 2023.
80% of global nurses serve only 49% of the world’s population, mostly outside Africa.
Africa has just 14.1 nurses per 100,000 people, compared to hundreds in wealthier nations.
Nurses make up 70% of Africa’s health workforce, yet remain underpaid, overworked, and underprotected.
These numbers are not just statistics they represent a slow-motion health disaster that is already visible in hospitals across Nigeria and beyond. Patients now wait longer, receive poorer care, or in some rural areas, no care at all.
Rich Nations Poaching Poor Nations’ Lifelines
Wealthy countries are capitalizing on Africa’s vulnerability. High-income nations, short on local talent, are actively recruiting African nurses with promises of higher salaries, safer environments, and professional respect.
In some cases, foreign-born nurses now make up nearly 25% of the nursing workforce in Western countries.
This global talent grab is creating a reverse aid flow where Africa trains the nurses, but the West reaps the benefits.
Nurses Speak: “We’re Not Heroes We’re Desperate”
Many African nurses feel abandoned by their governments. While politicians praise their dedication on public holidays, they return to hospitals without equipment, wards without electricity, and paychecks that can’t cover rent.
“We’re called ‘heroes’ every May 12th, but we’re invisible the rest of the year,” said a nurse from Lagos who requested anonymity. “We’re not looking for medals we’re looking for dignity.”
Gender and Injustice: The Silent Disparity
Women make up 85% of Africa’s nursing workforce, yet they face a 7% wage gap and are largely excluded from senior decision-making roles.
In a field dominated by women, power still belongs to men, and pay, policy, and progress reflect that inequality.
Solutions That Can’t Wait
The WHO is calling on African governments to act urgently not with lip service, but real investment. Among its recommendations:
Expand nursing education and training.
Establish advanced nursing roles and career paths.
Strengthen mental health and workplace safety protections.
Bridge the gender pay gap and empower women in leadership.
Improve salaries to retain talent at home.
Some countries are responding. Zimbabwe plans to invest $166 million annually for three years to bolster its healthcare workforce. But such examples are rare and time is running out.
A Bleeding System
The nursing crisis is not just about migration, it’s about what remains behind: overburdened systems, collapsing services, and preventable deaths.
The message from WHO is loud and clear: If Africa doesn’t care for its nurses, there will soon be none left to care for Africa.
Reference
Brain Drain in Scrubs: 42% of African Nurses Plan to Leave Amid Healthcare Meltdown – WHO