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ActionAid Study Shows Nigeria, Five Other African Countries Have Workers Struggling for Essentials
ActionAid Study Shows Nigeria, Five Other African Countries Have Workers Struggling for Essentials
By: Michael Mike
A new study by ActionAid has revealed that deep cuts to public spending in education and health across six African countries including Nigeria have seen workers struggling to afford essentials like food and resulted in overcrowded classrooms and failing healthcare.
Published on Tuesday, the Human Cost of Public Sector Cuts in Africa surveyed over 600 healthcare workers, teachers and community members in Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, and Nigeria. The study highlights that teachers’ salaries have plummeted by between 10% and 50% over the past 5 years, with an alarming 97% of health workers reporting insufficient wages for basic needs like rent, food and household expenses.
The study painted a bleak picture of failing public systems – especially for women and girls. It showed how governments’ inadequate investments in education and health sectors have left workers struggling to make ends meet and communities failing to access quality public services.
ActionAid said the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is to blame for its advice to governments to cut spending on public services in order to service foreign debts. With the accelerating debt crisis in the Global South, over three-quarters of all low-income countries in the world are spending more on debt servicing than they spend
on health.
The Country Director of ActionAid Nigeria Andrew Mamedu, said: “The debt crisis and the IMF’s insistence on cuts to public services in favour of foreign debt repayments have severely hindered investments in healthcare and education across Africa. For example, in 2024,
Nigeria allocated only 4% of its national revenue to health, while a staggering 20.1% went toward repaying foreign debt.
“This is not only absurd but unsustainable in the long run. The time for change is now. Governments must shift from unsustainable economic policies based on cuts and debt repayments to those that prioritise human
rights. The lives of millions depend on it.”
Governance Specialist, ActionAid Nigeria, Judith Gbagidi, said: “Behind every budget cut is a woman frontline worker picking up the pieces by teaching without materials,
healing without medicine, and caring without rest. The IMF’s austerity playbook is not just a financial strategy; it’s a human rights failure. We urgently need to mobilise political will to prioritise people over
payments and restore dignity to Africa’s public workforce.”
The research highlights how insufficient budgets in the healthcare system have led to chronic shortages and a decline in service quality. Community members in all six countries revealed deep dissatisfaction with the public healthcare system and noted rising costs of services, shortage of healthcare workers, and poor infrastructure.
What’s also clear is the disproportionate impact on women, as Maria, a healthcare worker from Kenya, explained:
“In the past month, I have witnessed four women giving birth at home due to unaffordable hospital fees. The community is forced to seek vaccines and immunisation in private hospitals since they are not
available in public hospitals. Our [local] health services are limited in terms of catering for pregnant and lactating women, as a result, most women must seek services in Mombasa, which is expensive.”
Medicines for malaria are now ten times more expensive at private facilities. Long travel distances, rising fees and a dwindling medical workforce are leaving millions without healthcare as Marym, a community member from Muyakela Kebele, Ethiopia, reveals: “Now malaria is an epidemic in our area [because medication is now beyond the reach of many]. Five years ago, we could buy [antimalarial medication] for 50 birrs (USD 0.4), but now it costs more than 500 birr (USD 4) in private health centres.”
Rose, a community member from Taita Taveta in Kenya, said: “We are referred for diagnosis tests 40 km away from the [local] dispensary. Doctor’s consultation has [doubled] at the referral hospital, making it difficult for the community to access services.”
In education, the toll is equally severe. Budget cuts have resulted in failing public education systems crippled by rising costs, a dire shortage of learning materials and overcrowded classrooms. Some 87% of teachers said they lacked basic classroom materials, with 73% shelling out for equipment themselves. Meanwhile, teachers’ incomes are falling: 84% of teachers surveyed reported a drop in real income of between 10 and 50% over the
past five years. “I now believe teaching is the least valued profession. With over 200 students in my class and inadequate
teaching and learning materials, delivering quality education is nearly impossible. Monitoring individual performance and supporting struggling students has become a daunting task,” said Maluwa, a primary
school teacher in Malawi’s Rumphi District.
Four of the six countries covered by the research are spending less than the recommended one-fifth of the
national budget on education and exceeds the ratio of one teacher per 30 pupils, as reported by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Kasor, a teacher from Liberia, with 80 pupils in his class, said: “The ministry doesn’t provide teaching aids or textbooks. I feel stressed and hopeless. We need better infrastructure and resources to cope with these changes.” On a personal level, due to reduced income, Kasor said, “I often struggle to put enough food on the table.”
The research shows that the consequences of these policies are multi-faceted and far-reaching. Workers are stretched beyond their limits and communities’ fundamental rights to healthcare and education are severely impacted. Governments and the IMF must work to reverse this damaging trend of cuts to essential services
while prioritising debt repayment.
the Global Economic Justice Lead at ActionAid International, Roos Saalbrink, said: “The debt crisis and drive for austerity is amplified for countries in the Global South and low-income countries, especially due to an unfair global economic system held in place by outdated institutions, such
as the IMF.
“This means the burden of debt falls on those most marginalised – once again. This must end. She added: “It’s crucial that governments agree on new international rules on global economic governance that shift important decisions away from the IMF and towards democratic institutions, such as the United Nations, to shape a fair and inclusive global economy for all.”
ActionAid called on education and health ministries to work with finance ministries to allocate sufficient resources to meet global benchmarks, ensure fair remuneration for workers, and improve infrastructure to
deliver quality services.
It said additionally, governments should explore fair and just ways of raising income, such as progressive taxation, rather than imposing spending cuts to essential public services.
ActionAid Study Shows Nigeria, Five Other African Countries Have Workers Struggling for Essentials
Tinubu Assures Nigerians in Diaspora of Favourable Policies Towards Them
By: Michael Mike
President Bola Tinubu on Friday assured Nigerians in Diaspora of his administration’s determination to continue to provide the enabling environment and policies that will boost their active participation in the country’s governance.
Tinubu gave the assurance at the opening of the National Diaspora Day celebrations 2025 at the Banquet Hall, Presidential Villa, Abuja.
This year’s celebration is themed: “Optimizing formidable Diaspora Potentials for National Development and growth”.
The President, who was represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, said: “We will continue to provide an enabling platform for effective policies for the Diaspora with the view to galvanizing your support for this administration and concretizing our democracy, optimizing your potentials and setting a good example for other African countries to emulate.
“Let me also state that we will look into the Challenges NiDCOM has enumerated with a view to ameliorating same so that we can harvest maximally the benefits of migration through the engagements with our Diaspora for national development and growth.”
He added that: “It is a great delight to address our over 20 million Nigerians in the diaspora on this auspicious occasion of the celebration of our National Diaspora Day 2025.”
“Only Nigerians both at home and abroad can develop Nigeria,” Tinubu stated.
The President highlighted the contributions of the diaspora, which include increasing remittances, pointing out that in 2024 alone, “Nigerians abroad sent home $20.9 billion through official channels—more than four times the value of the country’s foreign direct investment.
He said: “The Nigerians in the diaspora are also actively investing in our health care, agriculture, education, information, communication technology, housing and real estate, sports, transportation, oil and gas, and other sectors.
“This, I must say, is commendable and in our enlightened self-interest.”
The President stressed how highly the government rates the Nigerians in diaspora, saying “Our renewed hope for foreign policy recognises the diaspora as the fourth pillar for the agenda—namely democracy, demography, development, and diaspora.
In his goodwill message, the minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo said:
“When you go to any part of the world, maybe in Asia, Africa, South America, you will see Nigerians excelling. Nigerians breaking barriers. Nigerians breaking ceilings. And Nigerians using ceilings as springboards to greatness.”
The Minister highlighted the economic potential of diaspora remittances—comparing Nigeria’s $21bn in 2024 remittances to $32.91bn in oil earnings and India’s $135.46bn diaspora inflows.
He said: “What does that tell you? It tells you that the power of economic emancipation, a lot of this resides within you, beyond your own imagination,” he said.
The minister also explained that the administration is laying the foundation for long-term national prosperity—even if short-term sacrifices are required.
“You cannot cure a tumor by virtue of a paracetamol. It is important that the Renewed Hope agenda of Mr. President came into being. And today, we can see the results. We can see the economic stability of this country,” he said.
Tunji-Ojo also spoke on the reforms in his ministry which include immigration and the protection of critical national infrastructure.
He therefore called on the diaspora community to trust in the country’s direction under President Tinubu’s leadership.
“Nigeria has never been ready for investment more than now. We are ready for investment.
“I assure you, under the leadership of this President, you will never regret your investment. Nigeria loves you. Nigeria cares about you. And this particular administration cares about you,” he said.
Earlier, in her remark, Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Dr. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, said “The theme is apt to appreciate the efforts of both the government and the diaspora community in nation building and also to discuss how to make diaspora engagements better for national development.”
She emphasised the role of Nigerians in diaspora in the country’s development.
Dabiri-Erewa announced a proposed Diaspora Presidential Fellowship Programme. The initiative would allow professionals in the diaspora to take part in six-month sabbaticals in Nigeria, aimed at promoting knowledge transfer and innovation across sectors.
“It will strengthen their role in nation-building and serve as a knowledge-driven giveback to the fatherland,” she added.
Highlights of the event was the unveiling of a new Diaspora Home and Abroad Housing Platform, aimed at providing secure housing opportunities for diaspora Nigerians seeking to invest back home.
Tinubu Assures Nigerians in Diaspora of Favourable Policies Towards Them
Nasarawa: Security operatives arrest six over kidnapping, rape and robbery in Doma
By: Zagazola Makama
Security operatives in Nasarawa State have arrested six suspected members of a notorious armed robbery and kidnapping gang responsible for a series of violent crimes in Yelwa Ediya village, Doma Local Government Area.
The suspects, identified as Darda’u Shehu, Yunusa Malami Hashimu, Musa Abubakar, Ibrahim Musa, Mohammed Musa, and Jibrin Lafia, were apprehended during a coordinated raid based on actionable intelligence from a concerned resident.
During interrogation, the suspects reportedly confessed to their involvement in the kidnapping of a local councillor, Hon. Ari Muhammad, on May 26, 2025. They further disclosed that one of their members, Darda’u Shehu, raped the councillor’s wife, Talatu Ari, during the abduction and stole two mobile phones an Infinix Note 30 valued at ₦250,000 and a Tecno phone valued at ₦20,000.
The gang also confessed to mounting a roadblock along the Doma–Yelwa Road on July 19, where they attacked one Ibrahim Haruna and snatched his Bajaj motorcycle worth ₦970,000.
Recovered from the suspects were ₦100,000 in cash and one Bajaj motorcycle believed to have been taken from one of their victims.
The suspects also named their gang leaders as Bammi Alhaji Amme (alias Zomo) and one Lawali (surname unknown), who are currently on the run.
Efforts are ongoing to apprehend the remaining members of the gang and bring them to justice.
End
Police reunite two lost Beninese children with father in Lagos
By: Zagazola Makama
The Lagos State Police Command has reunited two young girls from the Republic of Benin with their father after they were found wandering around the Trade Fair Complex in Lagos.
The children, identified as Mutiat Fatai, aged 10, and Mobubat Fatai, aged 5, were spotted by concerned traders roaming the BBA Market area of the complex on July 18. Both girls, described as black in complexion and Yoruba-speaking, could not provide any clear information about their whereabouts or destination.
Following a report, police operatives from the area promptly responded and took the children into protective custody at the station.
Four days later, on July 22, one Fatai Yayah, a resident of Isobe Lagbolugo, Ifonyin in the Republic of Benin, visited the station and positively identified the girls as his daughters. After proper verification, the children were reunited with him.
The Police said the swift action by the officers helped ensure the children’s safety, and they commended members of the public for their vigilance.
Police reunite two lost Beninese children with father in Lagos
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