The health indices of most African countries are among the poorest in the world. In sub-Saharan Africa the health sector is currently experiencing an acute shortage of human resources in all aspects and at all levels of the health care delivery system. Financial and material resources for health promotion, disease prevention and patient care are inadequate or lacking due to the poor state of the economies of the countries, poor planning and resources management. The health sector is one of the least favoured compared to other sectors for allocation of resources by governments within the national development programmes. Until national economies improve, there is a great need for better planning and more efficient management of the less than optimal resources and facilities that are currently available for health services in these resource-limited settings. Efficient management of the available resources should significantly contribute to an improvement of the healthcare delivery system. Priority should therefore be given to the development of human resources who have the requisite expertise to plan, and efficiently manage the facilities and programmes that exist at all levels of the health services. To be effective, the cadre of managers must be given the background that will make them perform effectively. The background must include knowledge of public health and principles of management of resources be it in the public or private sector, financial and human resources management, programme evaluation and the interpretation of findings.