President John Dramani Mahama has expressed deep concern about the increasing migration of skilled health professionals, warning that the trend is placing enormous strain on healthcare systems across Africa.
Addressing participants at the 66th Annual Conference of the West African Association of Surgeons (WACS) on February 9, 2026, he noted that the renewed wave of emigration among trained health workers is affecting not only Ghana but the wider West African sub-region.
President Mahama called on African governments to move beyond rhetoric and adopt deliberate, practical measures to retain skilled personnel. He stressed the need to improve working conditions and create enabling environments where health professionals can build sustainable careers. According to him, strengthening career development pathways, enhancing professional recognition, and deepening engagement with the medical diaspora would help ease pressure on local health systems.
He further emphasized that addressing the brain drain challenge requires more than simply training additional surgeons and nurses. Governments, he said, must also invest in the broader healthcare support system — including anesthesia, nursing, and diagnostic services — while improving infrastructure to ensure a well-functioning and resilient health sector.
