Health and Public Service Network of Africa (HaPSNA) launched to advance health workforce through South-South partnership

Monrovia, Liberia – From March 4 to 7, 2025, Regional Public Service Leadership Conference on health workforce was held in Monrovia, Liberia. The conference was organized by Liberian Civil Service Agency in collaboration with HeDPAC which brought together public service and health sector leaders from Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. The conference focused on strengthening governance & regional collaboration and ensuring sustainable investments in the human health workforce. Held under the theme “Advancing Human Health Workforce through Public Service Excellence: Building Resilient and Innovative Institutions for Sustainable Development,” the conference provided a space for exchange of ideas.

The Panel of Experts (PoE), comprised of technical experts from the four countries and HeDPAC, developed the Health and Public Service Network of Africa (HaPSNA) framework during the event. The network aims to support governments to strengthen policies, improve leadership in health workforce governance, and to invest in long-term solutions to address health workforce challenges. The framework was formally adopted by heads of public service institutions and representatives from ministries of health, marking the regional commitment to collaboration and innovation in health workforce management.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Liberia’s Minister of Health, Hon. Dr. Louise M. Kpoto, stated “Our health workers are the backbone of our public health systems. If we are to improve healthcare for our people, we must invest in those who provide it. This means better governance, stronger leadership, and sustainable funding to ensure we train, support, and retain skilled health professionals across our countries,”.

‘’The Network heralds a transformative and collaborative initiative between civil service agencies and Ministries of Health to enhance workforce efficiency, accountability, and sustainability by confronting pressing challenges including ghost workers, absenteeism, and suboptimal performance’’ said Dr. Haileyesus Getahun, CEO of HeDPAC, ‘’ The efficiency gained paves the way for the integration of certified professional community health workers into the civil service system among others’’ he said

Additionally, Liberia’s Civil Service Agency Director-General, Dr. Josiah F. Joekai Jr., stating, “This network will champion collaboration and effective public service governance to build a resilient, well-trained, innovative, and professional human health workforce across Africa.” He reinforced the call for governments and institutions to actively support this initiative.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Liberia, and Sierra Leone on March 6, 2025 making it major milestone of the conference. This MOU shows the commitment from the participating countries to invest in their health workforce, strengthen governance, and collaborate across borders to share knowledge and best practices.

HeDPAC is committed to support HaPSNA’s sustainability and expansion to include additional countries fostering knowledge exchange and collaboration on health workforce through south-south collaboration. With continued investment and cooperation, the region is poised to build more resilient health systems that put people first.