Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa said the Federal Government has increased annual admissions into nursing schools from about 20,000 to 50,000 students as part of efforts to address Nigeria’s shortage of healthcare professionals and strengthen the country’s health workforce.

Alausa disclosed this during an interview with journalists on Sunday, saying the expansion of nursing admissions formed part of broader education reforms aimed at producing the skilled workforce required to drive President Bola Tinubu’s vision of building a $1tn economy by 2030.

The minister said the government was deliberately investing in human capital development by expanding access to professional education in critical sectors.

“We want to be the manpower supplier of the world. We need to produce competent, skilled and educated young Nigerians who will drive our economy, contribute to Africa’s growth and compete successfully across the world,” Alausa said.

He explained that the Federal Government had aggressively expanded admissions into health-related programmes to bridge long-standing shortages of healthcare workers.

According to him, annual enrolment into nursing schools has risen from about 20,000 students before the current administration assumed office to approximately 50,000 students, adding that admissions into medicine, pharmacy and dentistry have also been significantly increased.

The minister expressed confidence that the reforms would substantially reduce the shortage of healthcare professionals within the next few years as thousands of newly trained graduates join the workforce.

Alausa attributed the expansion to President Tinubu’s commitment to education and human capital development, describing education as the foundation for sustainable economic growth.