Kenya: A New Country of Origin for Our Talents

With immediate effect, we are also offering our language-learning program with a scholarship to nursing professionals from Kenya. Kenya, with around 55 million inhabitants the third-largest economy in Sub-Saharan Africa, has a young population and rapid demographic growth—in other words, highly qualified professionals find it difficult to secure skilled employment when the supply of jobs remains unchanged. In 2024, the governments of Kenya and Germany concluded an agreement that facilitates the migration of skilled professionals. It is intended to streamline the process for Kenyan nurses and thereby support the German healthcare system. \n\nImportant for employers: Nursing education is delivered at universities and Medical Colleges to a high standard in line with international standards. Graduates obtain diplomas or bachelor’s degrees in nursing and must obtain registration with the Nursing Council of Kenya in order to be allowed to practice. The best students receive tuition-free places at public universities. Teaching is conducted in English. Alongside Swahili, it is an official language. In 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) removed Kenya from the “Health Workforce support and safeguard list” because Kenya now trains more healthcare professionals than it needs itself.\n\nOver the past year, we established contacts with major public universities and held many online meetings. We presented our offer for graduates and received very positive feedback. During our recruitment trip, we were able to give presentations about our program in Nairobi to students and professors. On site, we conducted approx. 80 in-person selection interviews. We met highly motivated, exceptionally likeable, and open-minded young people who are eager to work in Germany.\n\nThe heads of the Departments of Nursing Science, as well as the German Embassy in Nairobi, support our activities. They confirmed the impression that many young Kenyans are currently ready to learn German in order to build a strong professional and personal future here. The Goethe-Institut in Nairobi, as well as private language institutes, report high demand for German courses. We will launch our first in-person course with around 20 talents in May 2025; further courses for fully qualified professionals will follow. We are delighted by so many positive, promising encounters. Taken together, all of these factors enable German hospitals to recruit qualified nursing professionals from Kenya in the near future. In this way, we help meet the growing skilled labour shortage and at the same time create prospects for young people.