Competency Gaps and Training Needs of State Human Resources for Health (HRH) Managers in Nigeria: A Rapid Capacity Assessment for Health Workforce Management Strengthening

Background: The shortage of skilled healthcare workers remains a significant challenge contributing to poor health outcomes in Nigeria. One major factor in health workforce development is competent human resources for health managers who plan and effectively manage the health workforce. The study assessed the competency gaps and training needs of human resources for health (HRH) managers at the state levels in Nigeria. Methods: The study was conducted in Nigeria among state-based HRH managers and focal persons using a rapid assessment design. Semi-structured questionnaires were administered to 36+1 purposively selected state HRH focal persons. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 27 was used for the data analysis. Descriptive statistics, including frequencies and percentages, were used to summarize the characteristics of the study participants. To assess associations between variables, inferential analysis was performed using the univariate Chi-square test. All analyses were carried out at a 95% confidence level, with statistical significance set at a p-value of less than 0.05. Findings from the study were validated by the 36 states and the Federal Capital of Nigeria Department of Health Planning, Research & Statistics (DHPRS) directors and focal persons through a virtual validation meeting. Results: Responses were received from 32 of the 36+1 states (86.5% response rate). Subsequent analyses were based solely on the data provided by the 32 states. The study included 32 participants from the health structure across 36 states in Nigeria. 17 (53.1%) of the participants were male, while 15 (46.9%) were female. The study revealed a 12.5% high and 87.5% low competency among the states’ human resources for health-focal persons in HRH's leadership, governance, and communication strategy; 9.4% had high competency and 81.3% had low competence in HRH analytics. The study also revealed a deficit in competency levels for HRH planning among most participants, with 90.6% having low competency and 9.4% having high competency. In HRH resource mobilization, 12.5% showed high competence, and 87.5% showed low competence. There was no association between the socio-demographics and the different competency variables. Conclusion: The study identified critical gaps and challenges in competency levels among HRH managers. To bridge the competency gaps in HRH development, more systematic, standardized, targeted interventions such as developing an eLearning system for HRH manager for continuous learning are required to improve the capacity of HRH management and development in Nigeria.