The Federal Government has increased annual admissions into nursing schools from about 20,000 to 50,000 as part of efforts to address the shortage of healthcare professionals and strengthen Nigeria's health workforce.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed this during an interview on Sunday, saying the expansion formed part of broader reforms aimed at producing the skilled manpower required to drive President Bola Tinubu's target of building a $1tn economy by 2030.
According to the minister, the administration is prioritising human capital development by expanding access to professional education, particularly in critical sectors such as healthcare.
Alausa said the government was committed to producing competent and globally competitive professionals capable of contributing to Nigeria's economic growth and meeting international labour demands.
He explained that enrolment into nursing schools had risen from about 20,000 before the current administration assumed office to approximately 50,000 annually. He added that admissions into medicine, pharmacy and dentistry had also been expanded.
The minister expressed optimism that the increased admission capacity would help bridge the country's healthcare workforce gap within the next few years as more trained professionals enter the labour market.
He described education as a key pillar of the Federal Government's economic agenda, noting that sustained investment in the sector would play a critical role in achieving long-term national development.
Speaking on the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, Alausa said the scheme was designed to remain viable beyond the life of the current administration, stressing that sustainability guided its implementation.
He also said the government had restored stability to tertiary institutions through continuous engagement with academic and non-academic unions, a development he said had improved activities across the higher education system.
Nigeria has continued to grapple with a shortage of nurses, doctors and other health professionals due to limited training capacity and the migration of skilled workers to countries offering better pay and working conditions.
The government has, however, intensified efforts to reverse the trend by expanding admissions into health-related programmes and investing in Technical and Vocational Education and Training as part of measures to strengthen the country's human capital base.
The expansion comes amid growing concerns over the continued emigration of Nigerian-trained health workers, with the government maintaining that increasing training capacity will help meet domestic healthcare needs while positioning the country as a source of skilled professionals for the global workforce.
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