Abuja, Nigeria's government launched a national strategy to strengthen nursing and midwifery, aiming to expand access to quality health services and accelerate progress toward Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

The Nigeria Strategic Directions for Nursing and Midwifery (NSDNM) 2025–2030 details reforms to enhance the training, deployment, and performance of nurses and midwives. Developed by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (FMOH) with technical support from the World Health Organization (WHO) and funded by the UK Government’s Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), it aligns with the Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative and WHO’s Global Strategic Directions for Nursing and Midwifery (2021–2025).
Government priorities health workforce strengthening

Speaking at the launch during the National Nursing Summit in Abuja, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, said the strategy shows Nigeria’s commitment to developing a skilled and equitably distributed health workforce.

Professor Pate said, “Nurses and midwives are vital in Nigeria’s health service, especially in primary care. The strategy aims to boost training, strengthen regulation, and create clear career paths to place qualified professionals where needed most.”

He highlighted recent government investments, including:
•    Increasing nursing school enrolment from 28,000 to 115,000 students
•    Approving the recruitment of 20,000 health workers, 60% of them nurses and midwives
•    Implementing a National Retention Strategy to address workforce shortages

The NSDNM is built around six strategic pillars:
•    Expanding nursing and midwifery education and certification
•    Strengthening workforce planning, deployment and retention
•    Advancing professional regulation and ethics
•    Improving leadership and governance
•    Enhancing workforce data systems and evidence use
•    Closing workforce gaps to improve service delivery

The Minister commended WHO Nigeria for its technical support and urged stakeholders to ensure full implementation of the strategy.

Nurses and midwives make up over half of Nigeria’s health workforce, vital for maternal, newborn, and child health, emergency response, and community outreach.

Regulation and equitable deployment
The Registrar of the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN), Alhaji Ndagi Alhassan, stated that the framework will enhance standards and promote equitable workforce distribution.

“Nigeria has improved nurse production, but equitable deployment and retention are still challenging. This strategy offers a coordinated approach to tackle workforce attrition, especially in underserved and rural areas,” he said.

WHO and partners support implementation
WHO Country Representative, Dr Pavel Ursu, represented by Dr Mary Brantuo, Team Lead for Health Systems and Services Cluster at WHO Nigeria, reaffirmed WHO’s commitment:

“Strengthening nursing and midwifery is key to increasing primary health care access. Nigeria has set a unified national direction, and WHO will support implementation at federal and state levels”
Koessan Kuawu, Deputy Representative of UNFPA Nigeria, emphasised the role of midwifery in lowering maternal deaths at the launch.

This strategy offers a clear path to produce, deploy, and retain skilled midwives, helping Nigeria reduce preventable maternal mortality.

Practical support for training institutions
With UK Government’s funding, WHO is supporting nursing and midwifery education and regulation. WHO has:
•    Procured 13 buses for Schools of Nursing in six states to support clinical training
•    Supplied desktop computers, printers and ICT equipment to enhance training capacity
•    Provided instructional materials and simulation equipment for skills laboratories
•    Trained school administrators on asset management and quality improvement
•    Supported the NMCN to strengthen and digitise school accreditation through donation of 30 computer tablets for electronic accreditation management

These investments are improving accreditation compliance and expanding capacity for pre-service education.

From policy to action
The implementation of the NSDNM will occur in phases, beginning with a nationwide plan, followed by state-level adaptations and partner coordination. A Technical Working Group (TWG), formed during the Nursing Summit, will create a roadmap for implementation and ongoing monitoring.

WHO will support the Federal Ministry of Health and NMCN in:
•    Dissemination of the NSDNM
•    Development of an implementation and monitoring framework
•    Standardised competency-based training curricula
•    Workforce deployment and retention guidelines
•    Leadership and professional development programmes

Senator Ipalibo Banigo, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, welcomed the initiative and affirmed legislative support for sustained investment in the health workforce.

A coordinated path forward
The NSDNM creates a framework to address workforce gaps and ensure sustainable investments in nursing and midwifery. The Federal Government and partners—including WHO, UK DHSC/FCDO, and UNFPA—are committed to supporting this strategy.

With strong government leadership and continued partner collaboration, the NSDNM sets a clear path to strengthen the health workforce and advance universal access to essential health services in Nigeria.