……..Launches Strategic Blueprint to Strengthen NSDNM 2025–2030 In Nigeria.
The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to transforming Nigeria’s nursing and midwifery profession through the official rollout of the Nigeria Strategic Directions for Nursing and Midwifery (NSDNM) 2025–2030, a comprehensive roadmap designed to strengthen education, workforce development, leadership, and service delivery across all levels of healthcare.
Delivering his keynote remarks at the National Nursing Summit and NSDNM Launch in Abuja, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate CON, described the initiative as a “blueprint for transformation” that will reposition Nigeria’s nursing and midwifery services for greater impact, quality, and equity.
“Nurses are at the core of the resilience of Nigeria’s health system,” Prof. Pate said. “This strategy is not just another policy document, it is a practical guide for reform, innovation, and investment to build a skilled, motivated, and equitably distributed workforce capable of delivering quality care to all Nigerians.”
Prof. Pate reaffirmed that the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, remains steadfast in its efforts to uplift the nursing and midwifery profession. He recalled that in 2024, President Tinubu was appointed by the African Union as the Champion for Human Resources for Health and Community Health Delivery Partnership, a testament to his commitment to human capital development in the health sector.
Under the President’s Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has made unprecedented investments in workforce expansion and education.
“The enrollment quota for nursing and midwifery training institutions, which stood at 28,000 in May 2023, has now been scaled up to 115,000 for the 2025 academic year,” Pate announced. “This leap will enable Nigeria to produce more nurses, midwives, pharmacists, laboratory scientists, and medical students to meet both national and global health needs.”
The Minister emphasized that beyond increasing numbers, government efforts are also focused on improving working conditions and creating an enabling environment where health workers can thrive.
Highlighting the Sector-Wide Approach and Recruitment Drive, the coordinated reform agenda under the Sector-Wide Approach, Prof. Pate noted that over 69,000 frontline health workers have been retrained across the 36 states, with nurses and midwives among the top beneficiaries.
He also disclosed that the Federal Government has approved recruitment waivers for 20,000 new health workers, 60 percent of whom will be nurses and midwives, to fill critical workforce gaps in federal health facilities.
“Our commitment goes beyond rhetoric. This is about tangible action that strengthens our health system from the ground up,” he said.
Prof. Pate commended the World Health Organization (WHO) for its technical and financial support in developing the NSDNM. Nigeria’s alignment with the WHO Global Strategic Directions for Nursing and Midwifery (2021–2027) underscores the country’s commitment to global standards and best practices.
Nigeria also made history earlier this year as the first country in West Africa to implement the Best Practice Spotlight Organization (BPSO) model, in partnership with the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario. The initiative promotes evidence-based nursing practice and improves maternal and neonatal outcomes.
“We are proud to be pioneers of this model in the region,” Pate said. “It shows our determination to elevate the nursing and midwifery professions through knowledge, technology, and accountability.”
Prof. Pate concluded with a call for unified national action to ensure full implementation of the NSDNM, stressing that the Ministry alone cannot achieve the desired transformation.
“I call on all stakeholders, state governments, ministries, training institutions, professional bodies, and development partners, to align with this mission,” he said. “Together, we can improve health outcomes, reduce mortality, and ensure the resilience of our nation.”
Speaking on the Plans to Action, In her remarks, Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Daju Kachollom mni, inaugurated the Technical Working Group (TWG) for the implementation of the NSDNM, marking what she described as “a transition from planning to implementation, from ideas on paper to actions that transform lives.”
She charged members of the TWG to ensure measurable progress through innovation, data-driven planning, and cross-sectoral collaboration.
“You are not here to re-discuss the strategy,” she said. “Your charge is to drive its implementation and ensure accountability at every stage.”
Similarly, Prof. Saleh Ngaski Garba, Head of Nursing Science at Bayero University, Kano, in his keynote address, highlighted that nurses and midwives constitute nearly 60 percent of Nigeria’s health workforce and remain indispensable to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
He urged government and stakeholders to sustain investment in the profession to bridge existing workforce gaps and retain talent.
Delivering a goodwill message on behalf of the WHO Country Representative, Mary Brentrow lauded Nigeria’s leadership for its bold steps to address the critical shortage of nurses and midwives.
“Investing in nursing and midwifery is not a cost, it is a strategic investment in health system resilience, gender equity, and economic development,” Brentrow emphasized.
With this launch, Nigeria sets a new benchmark in health workforce planning, anchoring the nation’s quest for universal health coverage on a stronger, empowered, and well-supported nursing and midwifery cadre.
Signed
Alaba Balogun
Deputy Director/Head, Information
& Public Relations
9 October 2025
