The United Nations has declared that Africa needs 11 million more doctors, nurses and teachers by 2030 to prevent
a “social and economic disaster” that could propel millions to migrate, the UN said on Thursday.
“We are at the most critical juncture for Africa’s children,”Leila Pakkala of the UNICEF said in a statement.
This statement from UNICEF is one that might be coming late going by the existing poor working conditions of medical and educational workers in Africa especially Nigeria which is discouraging people from taking up jobs in the sector.
Also, the mass exodus of African youth from the continent to other parts of the world in search of the proverbial golden fleece is not helping matters despite the havoc related to it.
The Mediterranean sea has swallowed thousands of African youth same as the Sahara desert. Still, our youth are selling family properties in a bid to leave the continent and go to Asian countries to do menial jobs like gate man, dishwasher among others.
The poor governance structures existing at home has not helped matters either, as the army of jobless youth is on the increase. From Nigeria to Zimbabwe to Kenya to Sierra Leone, unemployment is a big challenge as a result, the quest to leave the continent has affected the continent negatively and will still do more damage.
More than twenty-six states in Nigeria are owing salaries today, how do you want to convince the upcoming generations that working with government is the best?
Our population is also on the increase as we’ve shunned all forms of family planning due to our religious and cultural belief which is not helping at all. The statement from the UN is a wake-up call as the disaster foretold by the UN is lurking around the corner already.