Stakeholders Want Empowerment Of Community Health Workers

National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) in collaboration with the Results For Development (R4D) and other health stakeholders have called for increased funding and empowerment of community health workers.

The stakeholders made the call yesterday in Abuja at the Health System Strengthening Accelerator Knowledge Sharing and Learning Exchange Agenda on Community Health Workforce (CHW) Programs in low—and middle-income countries, tagged “A Knowledge Sharing Session on Financing, Training, Recruitment and the Use of Digital Innovations in CHW Programs.”

In a keynote address, Dr. Ngozi Nwosu, director of Primary Health Care Systems Development (PHCSD) at NPHCDA, highlighted the importance of CHWs to the NPHCDA and the health sector in general.
She said, “The community health workforce stands as a beacon of hope.”
“These individuals, often the backbone of healthcare delivery in remote and underserved areas, bridge the gap between communities and formal health systems.”

However, she noted that their impact is usually constrained by limitations in resources, training, and access to technology.

She called for investment in viable implementation models and equitable recruitment and retention strategies that offer competitive salaries, career development pathways, and supportive working environments.

“This means engaging governments, international donors, private sectors, and local communities in a collaborative effort to secure resources that can fund comprehensive training, equitable compensation, regular supervision, essential commodities, and the integration of digital tools,” she said.
Nwosu harped on the need to use digital innovations to strengthen the country’s community health systems.

She said, “Their successful integration hinges on equitable access, infrastructure development, and robust data governance frameworks that prioritise privacy and security.

“The journey towards universal health coverage and sustainable development in Nigeria begins with empowering the community health workforce”.

On his part, the country manager and programme director, Nigeria, Result for Development (R4D), Felix Obi, said: “For us to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UCH), we need to take health services to the community, and we need Community Health Workforce (CHW) to provide that service to our people.”

“As government and individuals, we need to find a way to recruit them and provide them a level of stability by paying them a living wage,” he added.