Nigeria’s Federal Government increases annual nursing school admissions to 50,000 in response to the country’s shortage of nurses and other health workers. Multiple outlets report that the expansion raises intake from roughly 20,000 to 50,000 students each year, as part of broader efforts to strengthen the healthcare system and build a larger skilled workforce.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, announces the increase, describing it as a key component of ongoing education reforms aimed at supplying manpower for the economy and health sector. He also says admissions into other critical health programmes—including medicine, pharmacy, and dentistry—are similarly expanded.
The reported context is a longstanding healthcare workforce gap, compounded by migration of professionals abroad in search of better opportunities, often referred to as “Japa.” The government’s position, as described in the coverage, is that increasing training capacity will help meet Nigeria’s domestic needs and, over time, reduce shortages while positioning the country as a potential supplier of skilled health personnel internationally.
