The Executive Director ACHEST, Dr David Okello, attended the 2nd Africa Health Workforce Investment Forum held in Accra, Ghana from 6–8 May 2026. The meeting was organized by WHO/AFRO and brought together Ministers, senior government officials, and key stakeholders from the education, finance, health, labour, and public service sectors across the African region.
The Ugandan delegation was led by Hon. Grace Mary Mugasa, Minister of State for Public Service, and Dr Alfred Driwale, Commissioner of Health Services, who represented the Director General of Health Services
The Forum was well attended and presided over by the WHO Regional Director for Africa, Professor Mohamed Yakub Janabi, who assumed office on 30 June 2025. The Forum focused on mobilizing commitments and action for health workforce investment under the theme: “Plan, Train and Retain.” Significant discussion centered on the paradox of increasing numbers of health graduates who remain unemployed despite persistent and critical shortages in the health workforce needed to meet growing population health demands. Deliberations emphasized the need to strengthen education-to-employment pathways.
Participants noted challenges in workforce planning, including the rapid expansion of commercially driven training institutions and limited fiscal space for governments to absorb trained graduates into the public sector workforce.
There was also considerable discussion on the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in both health professional training and service delivery. One notable observation was that AI has the potential to make a good physician better, but could equally make a poor physician worse if not appropriately guided and regulated.
A key recommendation was the call for the African Union Commission to table the outcomes of the Forum before the Assembly of Heads of State in February 2027. Professor Francis Omaswa contributed remotely to refining the resolutions and emphasized the importance of stronger engagement with Regional Economic Communities and regional bodies.
Compiled by Abraham Okoine Information Technology and Communications Officer, ACHEST
