Prof. James Avoka Asamani

Professor James Avoka Asamani is a health economist and health workforce scientist with extensive experience in health systems research, policy and leadership. He is Team Leader for Health Workforce at the WHO Regional Office for Africa, providing strategic leadership to 47 Member States on workforce planning, education, employment, financing, governance, retention and migration. He is also an Extraordinary Associate Professor at North-West University, South Africa. He holds a PhD in Health Sciences from North-West University, an MSc in Health Economics and Health Policy from the University of Birmingham, and an MPhil in Nursing from the University of Ghana. His previous roles include technical adviser on human resources for health and health systems across eastern and southern Africa, health economics adviser to WHO Ghana, and Head of Health Workforce Planning and Budgeting within the Ghana Health Service. Professor Asamani’s scholarship and policy work span population-needs-based workforce planning, health labour market analysis, health systems modelling, economic evaluation, fiscal sustainability, health professions education and evidence-to-policy translation. He has authored several peer-reviewed publications and developed workforce planning and simulation methods applied in over 15 countries. His work has shaped regional public goods, including the Africa Health Workforce Investment Charter, the Africa Health Workforce Agenda 2026–2035, regional staffing norms guidance, health labour market analysis tools, and flagship assessments of Africa’s health workforce. Working with governments, academic institutions and development partners, he has helped translate evidence into reforms and investments in training, employment and retention. His work advances stronger health systems, universal health coverage and a skilled, equitably distributed and sustainably financed health workforce for Africa.