The Executive Chairman of the Adamawa State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr Suleiman Saidu Bashir, has called for sustainable government financing, improved remuneration and stronger integration of Nigeria’s community health workforce to expand access to healthcare.
Bashir, who also chairs the Forum of Executive Secretaries and Chief Executive Officers of Primary Healthcare Agencies nationwide, made the call in an interview with Voice of Nigeria on the sidelines of the National Consultation on Advancing Nigeria’s Community Health Workforce Agenda in Abuja.
According to him, key challenges confronting the cadre include recruitment, financing, remuneration, supervision, integration, role definition and digital inclusion, stressing the need to move beyond donor-driven project financing.
“In terms of funding, we want to move away from a project that is donor-driven or a project approach to funding. We want to see the role of government budgeting coming into place, particularly in areas that have to do with making the remuneration to be adequate, to be predictive and to be regular.”
Bashir explained that the revised framework clarified the roles of Junior Community-Based Health Workers and Assistant Community-Based Health Workers, while creating pathways for integration, certification, accreditation and career progression.
He also advocated stronger supervision through Primary Healthcare Development Agencies, noting that the agencies were strategically positioned to coordinate appointments, promotions, transfers and disciplinary processes within primary healthcare systems.
On digital transformation, Bashir called for interoperable platforms that would enable government to visualise workforce data across public and private health systems.
The Adamawa PHCDA chairman further stressed that remuneration should extend beyond stipends, with greater attention given to performance management and workplace wellbeing, particularly in view of security risks faced by health workers.
Also speaking, the Health Sector Lead at CARE International in Nigeria, Dr Amina Ahmed Abdullahi, described community health workers as the foundation of healthcare delivery at the grassroots level and critical to reaching vulnerable populations.
“Community health workers form the grassroots layer of the health system in very many communities. They are the first point of contact between community members, particularly women and girls with the health system,” she noted.
Abdullahi called for unified financing, training, payment and supervision systems, observing that fragmented vertical programmes had created inefficiencies within the sector.
For her part, Senior Programme Officer at the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Dr Fatima Kumo, urged greater national ownership of the agenda.
“Advancing Nigeria’s community health workforce agenda is our responsibility. While external support is important, we must, as a nation, take ownership of the challenges, invest in our workforce, and build a strong, protected and sustainable community health system,” Kumo stated.
Similarly, a representative of the Katsina State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr Aminu Lawal Danmusa, emphasised the importance of continuous professional development for community health workers.
“A strong community health system cannot rely on one-time training. We need a workforce that is continuously learning, adapting and equipped with the latest knowledge to meet changing community health needs.”
Representing the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the Director and Head of Health Planning, Research and Statistics, Dr John Ovuoraye, reaffirmed the Nigerian government’s commitment to bringing health sector actors together to build a workforce capable of delivering quality services at community and primary healthcare levels.
Stakeholders at the consultation expressed a shared commitment to accelerating the community health workforce agenda by closing recognition and financing gaps, aligning with continental standards and developing a costed national acceleration plan.
