Posted on: Thu 05-02-2026

The Federal Government has approved the central placement of nurse interns in a move aimed at addressing gaps in Nigeria’s health workforce and easing the long-standing challenges faced by newly qualified nurses in securing internship placements.

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja at the official launch and distribution of support materials received by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN) from development partners, including the Gates Foundation, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), World Health Organisation (WHO) and Health Information Systems Advisory (HISA).

Pate said the approval of central placement for nurse interns would complement the existing workforce and strengthen healthcare service delivery, particularly in maternal and newborn health.

“Nigeria continues to face one of the world’s most challenging maternal and newborn health burdens. Our maternal mortality ratio remains unacceptably high, and this underscores the urgent need for skilled personnel at every stage of pregnancy and childbirth,” he said.

He stressed that the role of midwives in reducing maternal mortality “cannot be overemphasised,” noting that shortages are most pronounced in rural and underserved communities where access to skilled care remains limited.

According to the Minister, evidence consistently shows that the majority of maternal deaths occur in settings without skilled birth attendance.

Represented at the event by the Director of Human Resource Management in the ministry, Tetshoma Dafela, Pate also highlighted the challenge of retaining trained nurses and midwives amid rising migration trends. He said the Federal Government was implementing measures to improve recruitment and deployment, enhance incentives and remuneration, and promote policies that encourage healthcare workers to practise in underserved areas.

Pate described the launch of training items, electronic applications and policy documents as a demonstration of sustained collaboration between government and development partners.

He acknowledged the Gates Foundation’s support for regulatory reforms and curriculum reviews, noting that midwifery training equipment procured through the partnership would be distributed to 20 selected Colleges of Nursing Sciences nationwide.

The Minister also said the Electronic Accreditation Management System (EAMS), supported by UNFPA, would simplify institutional accreditation and provide real-time data, while the National Preceptorship Manual would help standardise training across institutions.

Support from HISA, formerly known as HWMA, he added, aligns with the National Procedure Guide for Nursing, Midwifery and Public Health Nursing programmes.

Describing WHO as a reliable partner, Pate said the provision of facilities and training materials would improve student performance and help produce competent nurses and midwives. He urged beneficiary institutions to ensure prudent and effective use of the distributed resources.

Earlier, the Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of NMCN, Alhassan Ndagi, said the newly reviewed nursing and midwifery curriculum was designed to strengthen training quality, improve service delivery and respond to emerging health challenges.

“The reviewed curriculum is aimed at improving knowledge, skills and service delivery. If the training is not very good, the service delivery will not be efficient,” Ndagi said.

He explained that the curriculum review took into account societal changes, emerging diseases and evolving health challenges, adding that the scope of training had been expanded to reflect Nigeria’s changing disease burden, including non-communicable diseases that were previously underemphasised.

Ndagi noted that the donated training equipment complements the revised curriculum through the use of modern simulation tools, explaining that high-fidelity models allow students to observe procedures, practise through return demonstrations and receive immediate feedback before entering clinical service.

According to him, the interventions would contribute to improved maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health outcomes, stronger reproductive health services and better preparedness for public health emergencies.

He added that the initiatives would also support Nigeria’s progress toward Universal Health Coverage and the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly those related to health, gender equity and human capital development.

The Registrar also acknowledged the Minister’s role in ensuring that the Council became a sub-awardee of the Gates Foundation grant and for providing policy guidance.

“He has also graciously approved the central mobilisation of nurse interns, a development which has gladdened the hearts of all nurses and midwives in Nigeria,” Ndagi said, adding that implementation modalities were at an advanced stage.

Speaking on behalf of the WHO, its Country Representative, Dr. Pavel Ursu, described the launch of NMCN policy documents, the EAMS and the handover of educational resources as “a major milestone in Nigeria’s journey toward strengthening the nursing and midwifery workforce and advancing universal health coverage.”

Represented by Mary Nana Ama Brantuo, Ursu said WHO provided technical guidance for the Nigeria Strategic Directions for Nursing and Midwifery 2025–2030 and supported the rollout of the EAMS through UK Government funding, including the provision of 30 tablets.

He added that under the FCDO-funded Equipment Support for Health Training Institutions project, WHO had improved the capacity of 13 training institutions through the provision of buses, generators, computers, solar inverters and other essential equipment.

Also speaking, the UNFPA Nigeria Resident Representative, Muriel Mafuco, said investments in midwifery were critical to reducing maternal and newborn deaths.

She noted that well-trained and adequately supported midwives can deliver the majority of essential sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn and adolescent health services.

According to her, Nigeria would require about 70,000 additional midwives by 2030 to meet WHO standards, reaffirming UNFPA’s commitment to partnering with NMCN to strengthen pre-service education, in-service training, mentorship and innovative learning systems.

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