Major economies in Africa are currently struggling to keep their nurses at home. In Nigeria, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Ghana, and many others, the story is the same. This has led to clashes between nursing bodies, nurses, and national governments. For instance, the National Nurses Association of Kenya (NNAK) and governors are clashing over plans to send nurses abroad. In Nigeria, the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN) has established proposals that any Nigeria trained nurses must first work two years at home. In Ghana, it is estimated that 4,000 nurses left the country in 2022. The struggle to keep nurses at home in Africa comes amidst strong demand for nurses in the UK, Germany, and Saudi Arabia. At the same time, the applications for nursing degrees are up in the economies following the growth in foreign demand for them. In Africa, the World Health organisation estimates that there are 1.2 million nurses, grossly inadequate for the continent’s need. Meanwhile, over 7,000 nurses migrated from Nigeria to the UK alone between 2021 – 2022.
