MSH Nigeria and Mastercard Foundation Launch Initiative to Expand Community Health Workforce

Abuja, Nigeria — April 7, 2026 — Management Sciences for Health Nigeria Ltd/Gte has launched a new partnership with the Mastercard Foundation to implement the Equitable Expansion of Community Health Workers (EECHeW) Project in Nigeria, an initiative that will strengthen the country’s community health workforce while expanding employment opportunities for young people.

Through the project, MSH Nigeria will support the reskilling and upskilling of 44,000 community health workers across 17 states and the Federal Capital Territory by 2028. The initiative aims to expand access to quality primary health care services—particularly in underserved communities, while helping to build a stronger and more sustainable health workforce.

The project contributes to the Foundation’s Community Health Workforce Development Program, a continent-wide initiative designed to strengthen community health systems while enabling young people to access dignified and fulfilling work.

“Community health workers are the backbone of primary health care, particularly for communities that face the greatest barriers to accessing services,” said Dozie Ezechukwu, Managing Director of MSH Nigeria Ltd/GTE. “This partnership with the Mastercard Foundation will help expand opportunities for young people to serve as community health workers while strengthening the systems that support them. Together with our government partners, we aim to build a workforce that is skilled, supported, and able to deliver quality care to communities across Nigeria.”

Aligned with Nigeria’s Redesigned National Community Health Worker Program, the initiative will strengthen both the capacity of individual health workers and the institutions that support them. In addition to training and professional development for community health workers, the project will work with national and subnational partners to strengthen workforce planning, supervision, accreditation, and career advancement systems that help sustain a professionalized community health workforce.

MSH Nigeria will implement the project in close collaboration with key national and subnational partners, including the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the Community Health Practitioners Registration Board of Nigeria, and local government health authorities responsible for workforce planning and supervision.

Implementation will run from February 2026 through July 2028 and will follow a phased approach focused on strengthening workforce capacity, improving operational effectiveness at the local level, and reinforcing the institutional systems that support the development and management of community health workers.

About MSH Nigeria

MSH Nigeria Ltd/GTE is a locally governed subsidiary of Management Sciences for Health that leads the organization’s partnerships and operations in Nigeria. The entity reflects MSH’s commitment to locally led health systems strengthening, working alongside Nigerian institutions to advance sustainable primary health care and workforce development.