Nigeria Expands Nursing Admissions to 50,000 Amid Health Worker Shortage
The Federal Government has increased annual admissions into nursing schools from about 20,000 to 50,000 students as part of efforts to address Nigeria’s shortage of healthcare professionals and strengthen the national health workforce.
Minister of Education Dr Tunji Alausa disclosed the expansion during an interview with journalists on Sunday. He said the measure forms part of broader education reforms aimed at producing the skilled manpower required to support President Bola Tinubu’s vision of building a $1 trillion economy by 2030.
“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.
The minister explained that the government had aggressively expanded admissions into health-related programmes, including medicine, pharmacy and dentistry, to bridge long-standing shortages. He expressed confidence that the reforms would substantially reduce the deficit of healthcare professionals within the next few years as newly trained graduates enter the workforce.
Alausa attributed the expansion to the President’s commitment to education and human capital development, describing education as the foundation for sustainable economic growth. He also reiterated that the Nigerian Education Loan Fund was designed to remain financially sustainable beyond the current administration, with long-term viability as a central guiding principle.
The minister noted that the administration had restored industrial harmony in tertiary institutions through dialogue with academic and non-academic staff unions, contributing to greater stability in the higher education sector.
Nigeria has faced a persistent shortage of nurses and other healthcare workers, driven by years of underinvestment in training capacity and the large-scale migration of professionals seeking better remuneration and working conditions abroad, a trend commonly referred to as “Japa.” The outflow has placed additional pressure on the country’s primary and secondary healthcare systems.
By expanding training capacity, the government aims both to meet domestic healthcare needs and to position Nigeria as a supplier of skilled professionals to the global labour market. The initiative forms part of wider investments in Technical and Vocational Education and Training and other human capital programmes.
