Antigua and Barbuda requests more Ghanaian Health Workers
Photo: Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa (L) and Antigua and Barbuda’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Everly Paul Chet Greene (R) / © Ghana Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Antigua and Barbuda has requested additional healthcare professionals from Ghana after the first group of 120 Ghanaian nurses and other health workers deployed to the Caribbean nation earlier this year exceeded expectations.
Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, disclosed the development following bilateral discussions with Antigua and Barbuda’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Everly Paul Chet Greene, on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Antigua and Barbuda.
In a statement issued by Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on November 6, Ablakwa said the initial group of 120 Ghanaian nurses had made a significant impact on the country’s healthcare system, prompting the Antiguan government to request additional personnel.
The first group of Ghanaian healthcare professionals departed Accra on January 26, 2026, following a send-off ceremony at Kotoka International Airport attended by senior government officials, including Chief of Staff Julius Debrah and Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh.
The deployment included nurses, midwives and other allied healthcare professionals recruited to support Antigua and Barbuda’s healthcare delivery system.
According to Ghana’s Presidency, the deployment followed a bilateral agreement between the two governments as part of efforts to address the backlog of qualified but unemployed health professionals in Ghana while providing skilled workers with international employment opportunities.
The healthcare professionals signed three-year employment contracts, with the possibility of applying for extensions upon completion of their initial terms.
Antigua and Barbuda’s Ministry of Health, Wellness and Environment subsequently confirmed that the incoming professionals were expected to serve at the Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre, community clinics across the islands and within the country’s mental health sector.
The deployment was facilitated through Ghana’s Labour Exchange Programme, an initiative launched in 2025 to create structured international employment opportunities for Ghanaian citizens.
The programme is designed to connect skilled and unskilled Ghanaian workers with countries experiencing labour shortages while providing opportunities for professional development, employment and foreign exchange earnings.
Speaking during the January deployment ceremony, Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh disclosed that the government had inherited a backlog of more than 80,000 health professionals who had completed their education but were yet to secure employment.
He explained that the government was exploring opportunities for qualified professionals to work abroad while continuing efforts to absorb others into Ghana’s domestic healthcare system. Akandoh also identified Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago as other Caribbean countries with which Ghana was exploring similar employment arrangements.
Although the Ghanaian Foreign Affairs Ministry did not disclose the number of additional workers requested or the specific professional categories involved, the development indicates interest in extending the existing arrangement.
Healthcare cooperation was among several issues discussed during the bilateral engagement between Ghana and Antigua and Barbuda. Ablakwa also announced a new visa-waiver arrangement between the two countries covering all categories of passport holders.
According to the minister, the agreement is expected to facilitate closer relations through increased trade, tourism and people-to-people exchanges. The developments form part of Ghana’s wider diplomatic engagement with Caribbean countries, with the government seeking to strengthen economic, cultural and institutional partnerships with the region.
Written by Abeeb Lekan Sodiq for TheAfricanDream®
