Abstract Introduction: Data on the global health work force is compiled from a variety of sources and rarely contains information on provider perspectives. As efforts to recruit and retain health workers in the world's mostly rural settings gain strength, an understanding of providers' perspectives is becoming essential. Objective: What do health workers deem as most important for improving their ability to provide good quality of care services? Methods: A secondary analysis was conducted of provider responses to the Health Worker Interview Questionnaire, as contained in both the 2009 Namibia Health Facility Census and the 2010 Kenya Service Provision Assessment. Cross tabulations were run to look for statistical significance of provider responses by cadre, facility type and managing authority. Results: A desire for more training was the number one item identified by providers in both Namibia and Kenya as most important for improving their ability to provide good quality of care services. Other top needs included a desire for more staff and a desire for more incentives. Provider responses varied by cadre, by the facility type within which they worked and by the managing authority overseeing the facility. Conclusion: The items identified by providers as most important for improving their ability to provide good quality of care services are reflective of the environments within which they work. It is thus highly recommended that policy makers, Ministries of Health and others involved in the development of the global health workforce acknowledge these items - as identified by providers themselves - when determining how to best use limited resources to improve the delivery of good quality of care services. Key Words: Human Resources for Health, health workforce, Kenya, Namibia, quality of care, provider perspective