The Federal Government has increased annual admissions into nursing training institutions from about 20,000 to 50,000 as part of measures to address Nigeria’s shortage of healthcare professionals.
The Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, disclosed this during an interview with journalists on Sunday, saying the expansion was part of broader reforms aimed at strengthening the country’s human capital and producing skilled workers for the economy.
Alausa said enrolment had also been expanded in other critical health-related fields, including medicine, pharmacy and dentistry.
According to him, the government’s investment in professional education is intended to increase the number of qualified Nigerians available to meet domestic needs while also preparing them to compete in the global labour market.
“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,” the minister said.
He expressed optimism that the increased training capacity would help reduce the country’s healthcare workforce deficit as more graduates enter the profession in the coming years.
Alausa linked the reforms to President Bola Tinubu’s broader economic agenda, particularly the ambition to grow Nigeria into a $1tn economy by 2030.
“As the President advances his vision of building a one trillion-dollar economy, education will remain at the centre of that transformation,” he said.
The minister also defended the sustainability of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, saying the initiative was designed to remain effective beyond the tenure of the current administration.
“There is no value in introducing policies that cannot stand the test of time. Sustainability is central to this administration’s philosophy, and that principle guided the design of NELFUND,” he stated.
He further said the Federal Government had been able to maintain industrial peace in tertiary institutions through engagement with academic and non-academic staff unions, adding that the improved stability was contributing to better performance in the higher education sector.
Nigeria has continued to grapple with a shortage of nurses, doctors and other healthcare professionals.
The situation has been worsened by limited training capacity, inadequate investment in the health sector and the migration of skilled professionals abroad in search of better pay and working conditions.
The expansion of nursing admissions comes amid concerns over the continued loss of healthcare workers to the so-called “Japa” trend. Thousands of Nigerian-trained medical professionals have relocated to other countries in recent years, intensifying staffing gaps across the domestic health system.
The government has maintained that expanding the number of people trained in nursing and other health professions, alongside investments in technical and vocational education, will help strengthen Nigeria’s workforce and improve access to healthcare.
