Africa’s Health Workforce Crisis: Insights from Ethiopia

Category

Spotlight

Country

Ethiopia

Pillar

Network Learning & Development

Africa is facing a projected shortfall of 6.1 million health workers by 2030—a crisis threatening progress toward Universal Health Coverage and the SDGs. With only 1.55 health workers per 1,000 people, most African countries fall far below the WHO’s recommended threshold. The consequences? Overstretched systems, unequal access, and poor health outcomes.

In this edition of the Health in Africa Series, we explore the root causes of the health workforce crisis—from inadequate training and poor retention to underinvestment and migration—and spotlight solutions.

Our speaker, Professor Getnet Mitike Kassie, Senior Research Advisor at the International Institute for Primary Health Care – Ethiopia, will share Ethiopian lessons.

What you’ll learn: 

• Why Africa’s health workforce crisis is more than a numbers game
• How Ethiopia expanded training to promote greater workforce equity
• Practical strategies in policy, investment, and system design
• How to localize the WHO Human Resources for Health Roadmap in your country

The Speaker:

Professor Getnet Mitike Kassie
Senior Research Advisor at the International Institute for Primary Health Care – Ethiopia

Prof. Getnet Mitike Kassie is a Senior Research Advisor at the International Institute for Primary Health Care – Ethiopia, focusing on synthesizing PHC knowledge for evidence-informed policy decisions. He has extensive experience in teaching and in-service training of the health workforce. He has been in academia for 18 years, including serving as Dean of the School of Public Health, Addis Ababa University. Has co-authored several peer-reviewed articles. He has been engaged in a number of national and global networks for improving the training of health professionals, implementation research, and PHC. He is an MD, holds MPH and PhD degrees in public health.