While the World Celebrates Nurse Practitioners, Nigeria Is Still Sleeping on Advanced Nursing Practice?

FNA NEWS, 11th Of November, 2026

As countries recognise the contributions of nurse practitioners to healthcare delivery, attention is turning to the growing role of advanced nursing practice in strengthening health systems.

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However, in Nigeria, questions remain about the pace of implementation of the country’s proposed Advanced Nurse Practitioner framework and whether the government is doing enough to create opportunities for nurses to practise at an advanced clinical level.

The United States is observing National Nurse Practitioner Week from November 8 to 14, 2026, celebrating the contributions of more than 461,000 licensed nurse practitioners across the country.

The annual observance highlights the growing importance of nurse practitioners in primary, acute and specialist healthcare services.

According to the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), nurse practitioners in the United States conduct nearly one billion patient visits annually.

Their responsibilities include assessing patients, diagnosing illnesses, ordering and interpreting diagnostic investigations, prescribing medications and managing chronic conditions within their authorised scope of practice.

Beyond the celebration, however, the development of advanced nursing practice raises an important question for Nigeria: how prepared is the country’s healthcare system to embrace a more advanced and expanded nursing workforce?

Nigeria’s Advanced Nursing Practice: Beyond Policy Approval

Nigeria has taken steps towards introducing Advanced Nurse Practitioners into its healthcare system.

In March 2024, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare approved the introduction of Advanced Nurse Practitioners in the Nigerian nursing profession.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN) subsequently announced the establishment of an implementation committee to develop a comprehensive plan for the initiative.

The approval represented an important development for the nursing profession, particularly as healthcare systems increasingly recognise the contributions of nurses with advanced clinical education and competencies.

However, policy approval is only one part of the process. The real test lies in implementation.

Questions remain about the progress towards establishing clearly defined educational pathways, accreditation requirements, certification, licensing arrangements, clinical competencies and scopes of practice for Advanced Nurse Practitioners in Nigeria.

Without these structures, the country risks having an important professional development initiative remain largely an aspiration rather than a fully functional component of healthcare delivery.

Why Advanced Nursing Practice Matters to Nigeria

Advanced nursing practice is not simply about giving nurses additional academic qualifications or creating new professional titles.

It involves developing nurses with advanced clinical knowledge, specialised competencies and the regulatory authority to undertake expanded responsibilities within clearly defined professional boundaries.

In countries where nurse practitioner roles are established, these professionals contribute to healthcare delivery through patient assessment, diagnosis, treatment and ongoing management of selected health conditions.

Their contributions are particularly important in primary healthcare, chronic disease management, preventive healthcare and underserved communities where access to timely medical attention can be challenging.

For Nigeria, where healthcare facilities continue to face workforce and service-delivery challenges, properly trained and regulated advanced practice nurses could help strengthen the health workforce.

They could improve access to selected healthcare services, support continuity of care, strengthen disease prevention programmes and reduce some of the pressure on overstretched facilities.

However, these benefits depend on appropriate training, effective regulation, clear professional boundaries and collaboration with other healthcare professionals.

Advanced nursing practice should therefore not be presented as an attempt to replace doctors or create competition between healthcare professions.

Rather, it should be viewed as an opportunity to build a more responsive, collaborative and efficient healthcare system.

Government Must Move From Approval to Implementation

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The Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, alongside the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, has an important responsibility to ensure that the proposed Advanced Nurse Practitioner framework progresses beyond policy announcements.

This requires a clearly communicated implementation roadmap that outlines the professional requirements, educational standards, licensing arrangements and clinical responsibilities of advanced practice nurses.

Nursing education institutions must also be adequately prepared to deliver advanced clinical training that meets established standards. Such programmes should prioritise practical competencies, supervised clinical experience and evidence-based practice rather than academic qualifications alone.

Furthermore, healthcare facilities must be prepared to accommodate these professionals.

Introducing advanced practice qualifications without creating appropriate clinical positions, defined responsibilities and remuneration structures would limit their potential contribution.

Professional associations, nursing educators and other healthcare stakeholders also have a role to play in ensuring that the development of advanced nursing practice reflects the needs of the Nigerian healthcare system.

Importantly, Nigeria’s Strategic Directions for Nursing and Midwifery 2025–2030, launched in October 2025, provides a broader national framework for strengthening nursing education, workforce development, leadership and service delivery. Translating these commitments into measurable outcomes should remain a priority.

Nigeria Must Not Be Left Behind

The global development of advanced nursing practice presents an opportunity for Nigeria to rethink how it develops, deploys and retains its nursing workforce.

For too long, conversations about the Nigerian nursing profession have largely centred on increasing the number of nurses, expanding nursing education and addressing workforce shortages.

While these issues remain important, equal attention must be given to professional advancement, clinical specialisation and the effective utilisation of nurses’ competencies.

Producing more nurses without creating opportunities for professional growth and advanced clinical practice risks limiting the potential of the profession.

Nigeria must recognise that the future of nursing is not only about having more nurses in healthcare facilities.

It is also about developing nurses with the advanced knowledge, clinical skills and professional recognition needed to respond to increasingly complex healthcare demands.

As the world celebrates nurse practitioners this week, Nigeria should use the opportunity to examine its own progress.

The country has already taken an important step by approving the introduction of Advanced Nurse Practitioners.

The next priority should be to demonstrate tangible progress towards implementation.

The question is no longer whether Nigerian nurses can advance their clinical practice. It is whether the country’s healthcare system is ready to provide the structures, opportunities and regulatory support they need to do so.

Advanced nursing practice should not remain a policy aspiration. It should become part of Nigeria’s broader strategy for building a stronger, more accessible and more effective healthcare system.

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