African Diaspora Health Workers as Brain Gain, Reality or Pipe Dream?

In late 2018 Nigeria Health Watch with partners hosted a very successful fourth annual Future of Health Conference in Abuja, Nigeria focusing on The Diaspora as Nigeria’s Brain Gain, inspired by the growing number of diaspora Nigerian health workers who over the last five years returned to work in Nigeria. To launch the summary report from this conference and a related World Bank-Nigeria Health Watch workshop, this event in the UK parliament was an opportunity to bring the trend of returning African health workers to the attention of various audiences in the UK and to share insights with policymakers, diaspora health workers and academics in the UK. Speakers included Dr Ike Anya (Principal Consultant and Co-Funder EpiAfric and Nigeria Health Watch), Dr Titilola Banjoko (Executive Director in the National Health Service), Ben Simms (CEO of the Tropical Health Education Trust), Dr Ekpemi Irune (Member of Doctors for Change; Consultant Surgeon, Addenbrookes Cambridge, UK and Euracare Multi-specialist Hospital in Lagos, Nigeria), and Johann Malawana (Education and Training Specialist, UK Department of International Trade).