Older Persons and Public Health Nursing in Africa: Gaps, Opportunities, and a Call to Action – Lessons from Nigeria
- Apr 15
- 3 min read
Introduction
Africa is aging faster than any region. By 2050, the number of older persons on the continent will more than triple [1]. Yet health systems still focus on children, maternal health, and infectious diseases. Older persons are often invisible in policy, excluded from health insurance, and underserved by primary care.
Public health nurses are on the frontlines. We work in communities, homes, and clinics. We see older persons where they live. But our training and systems have not kept pace with a rapidly aging population.
This post reflects on gaps and opportunities in caring for older persons across Africa, drawn from my work establishing healthy aging clinics and training caregivers in Nigeria. It is also an invitation to start and join a new GNPHN Working Group on Aging and Public Health Nursing, to facilitate actions together.
The Continental Gap
Across Africa, public health nurses are rarely trained in geriatric assessment, chronic disease management, or age-friendly communication. Curricula focus elsewhere, leaving the workforce unprepared.
In Nigeria, where I work, this gap is stark. But the challenges are continental:
Geriatric care is minimal in most public health nursing curricula
Older persons are excluded from health insurance in most African countries
Family structures are weakening, yet no formal social security exists
Chronic diseases are rising, but health systems are not adapted
Family caregivers receive no training, respite, or support
The gap is continental. But so are the opportunities.
The Opportunity: Healthy Aging Clinics and Projects
In 2023, Mission to Elderlies Foundation began establishing Healthy Aging Clinics and Projects in Nigeria. These clinics and community based projects provide comprehensive health and psychosocial assessments, intervention and referral, health education, subsidized health insurance linkage, and caregiver training.
Results have been transformative: routine check-ups increased, out-of-pocket costs dropped, and caregiver workforce increased.
This model only requires a trained public health nurse, a willing health center, and an engaged community. The basic rudiments are already available so it can work across Africa.
What Is Missing: Policy, Training, and a Network
Three critical gaps remain:
Training: Geriatric care must be integrated into public and community health nursing pre and in service curricula
Policy: Older persons must be included in policies like national health insurance schemes
Network: Public health nurses need a national and continental platform to share, learn, act and advocate together
This third gap is where GNPHN can play a transformative role.
Let’s Start and Join the GNPHN Working Group on Aging and Public Health Nursing
Over the next two years, we will:
Map public health nursing roles for older persons in Africa
Develop core geriatric competencies for public health nurses
Build a repository of training resources and tools
Identify priority research questions
Advocate for age-friendly policies across the continent
Seek and attract funding for older person’s centered project like Healthy Aging
Contribute to the ongoing work of the United Nations to draft International Legal Framework on the Protection of Human Rights of Older Persons
We will thus meet quarterly online, publish our work, design and evaluate projects, and ensure Africa’s voice is central in global conversations on aging and public health nursing
We welcome public health nurses, nursing educators, researchers, and policy advocates- especially from Africa and other low- and middle-income countries, and invite support and contributions from colleagues in developed countries.
How to Get Involved
Contact GNPHN or email me. Share your work. Spread the word.
Looking Ahead
Africa is aging fast. We can ignore it, or we can prepare- by training public health nurses, building age-friendly systems, and creating networks of practice and advocacy.
Our healthy aging clinics in Nigeria prove simple interventions work. But we cannot scale this alone. I hope you will join us.
About the Author
Dr. Amara Frances Chizoba is a public health specialist with over a decade of experience in aging, HIV, and health systems strengthening in Nigeria. She is Founder of Mission to Elderlies Foundation, a GNPHN Council Member, and a scholar with ICCHNR.
References
[1] United Nations. World population prospects: The 2017 revision. 2017.
Author Contact:
Dr. Amara Frances Chizoba. BNSc, MPH, PhD
+2347088698103
Thank you Dr Chizoba for sharing this call for action on Age friendly systems. I will share it among PHN colleagues with an interest in this area in Ireland.