By Michael Oche
The West African Health Sector Unions Network (WAHSUN) has raised concern over persistent low budgetary allocations to the health sector across the sub-region, warning that the trend is significantly worsening healthcare delivery and undermining efforts to achieve universal health coverage.
Speaking on Friday in Abuja at the 25th WAHSUN Plenary Session held in Abuja, the Chairperson of WAHSUN, Comrade Dr. Kabiru Ado Sani Minjibir, said most countries in West Africa continue to fall short of long-standing commitments to increase investment in health, particularly the Abuja Declaration target of allocating at least 15 per cent of national budgets to the sector.
He noted that more than two decades after the pledge was made, only a handful of African countries have consistently met the benchmark, while several others, including major economies in the region, still allocate less than 10 per cent of their budgets to health.
He said, “In 2001, African Heads of state committed to allocate a minimum of 15% of national budgets to the health sector each year. It is now 2026. Twenty-five years later, only three countries across the African Union have consistently met that target. More than thirty AU member states remain below even 10%. Nigeria, which hosts this plenary, allocated approximately 6% of its 2026 national budget to health, barely one-third of what the Abuja Declaration requires. WAHSUN is not asking governments to do something extraordinary. We are asking them to honour a commitment they made a quarter of a century ago. We will continue to document, publicise, and advocate around each member state’s budget performance, because accountability requires evidence, and evidence requires vigilance.”
According to him, the underfunding has left health systems overstretched, under-resourced, and unable to cope with rising population needs, disease burdens, and recurrent public health emergencies.
“Poor budgetary allocations are directly affecting healthcare delivery across West Africa. We are seeing systems that are already weak becoming weaker due to insufficient investment in infrastructure, workforce, commodities, and primary healthcare services,” he said.
Dr Minjibir warned that the funding gap is also worsening existing structural challenges in the health sector, including shortage of health workers, inadequate facilities, and weak access to affordable care, particularly in rural communities.
The union also linked underfunding to the growing exodus of health professionals from the region, noting that poor remuneration, poor working conditions, and lack of investment in the health workforce continue to drive migration of doctors, nurses, and other health workers to Europe, the Middle East, and North America.
It further stressed that Community Health Workers, who form the backbone of primary healthcare delivery in many West African countries, remain largely underpaid or unpaid in some cases, despite their critical role in reaching underserved populations.
WAHSUN called on governments in the sub-region to move beyond policy commitments and translate pledges into concrete budgetary actions, stressing that increased funding is essential to strengthen health systems and achieve universal health coverage.
The union urged regional governments to prioritise health in national development planning and ensure timely release and efficient utilisation of allocated funds, warning that continued underinvestment would deepen inequality and weaken health outcomes across the region.
WAHSUN said it is commitment to engage governments through constructive dialogue while also advocating for improved welfare, safety, and working conditions for health workers across West Africa.
