Oluwatobi Adu 
UNFPA Nigeria Country Representative, Muriel Mafico
ABUJA, Nigeria – The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) says Nigeria health worker migration should not be viewed as the country’s biggest challenge, insisting that government efforts should instead focus on addressing the conditions driving doctors, nurses and midwives to leave the country.
UNFPA Nigeria Country Representative Muriel Mafico made the remarks in an exclusive interview with Africa Health Report during the weekend, where she discussed the impact of health worker migration on maternal healthcare and Nigeria’s growing shortage of skilled birth attendants.
“Migration itself is not the problem. The question is: what are the push factors?” Mafico said.
“People have the freedom to move where they want to go. What we need to address is why they move to other places.”
She identified poor remuneration, limited career progression, inadequate working conditions, insecurity and chronic staff shortages in rural communities as major factors driving health professionals abroad.
According to Mafico, Nigeria currently faces a shortage of about 30,000 midwives, with underserved rural communities experiencing the most severe shortages and the highest burden of maternal deaths.
To tackle the challenge, she said UNFPA is working with government partners to implement innovative retention strategies, including a community midwifery programme in Sokoto State.
“These midwives are recruited from their own communities. When you invest in them, the likelihood of them leaving is much lower because they already belong to those communities,” she explained.
She also highlighted other workforce retention measures, including improving salaries and working conditions, addressing insecurity in rural areas and re-engaging retired nurses to bridge staffing gaps.
Mafico described Akwa Ibom State’s decision to recall retired nurses into active service as an innovative approach that other states could adapt to strengthen healthcare delivery while addressing workforce shortages.
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