A brand new agreement between Ghana and Jamaica will see Ghanaian-trained nurses and lecturers deployed to the Caribbean island for employment, Ghana’s Overseas Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, introduced over the weekend.
The bilateral association, first disclosed after a gathering with Jamaican Overseas Minister Kamina Johnson Smith on the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) Summit in Brussels, is predicted to supply new job alternatives for Ghanaian professionals who’ve been unemployed since finishing nationwide service. The partnership can even handle shortages in Jamaica’s healthcare and training sectors.
Ghana and Jamaica have signed a bilateral settlement to deploy Ghanaian nurses and lecturers to Jamaica, aiming to deal with staffing shortages in Jamaica’s well being and training sectors. This collaboration is a part of Ghana’s technique to supply employment alternatives for its…
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“Jamaica is able to obtain nurses and lecturers from Ghana beneath a particular bilateral partnership,” Ablakwa stated.
The minister emphasised that the transfer wouldn’t solely ease unemployment in Ghana but additionally expose the professionals to higher working situations overseas. He famous that the cooperation stems from the long-standing historic ties between the 2 international locations, and that each governments have agreed to broaden collaboration in a number of different areas.
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“Ghana and Jamaica are additionally anticipated to carry high-level political consultations to deepen our cooperation in commerce, training, agribusiness, tourism, cultural and sports activities trade,” Ablakwa stated.
Whereas the current settlement is being positioned as a win-win for each international locations, considerations about Jamaica’s rising reliance on abroad lecturers have been raised prior to now. In 2024, then Jamaica Lecturers’ Affiliation (JTA) President Leighton Johnson voiced strong concerns concerning the nation’s plan to recruit international educators. He acknowledged that whereas bringing in abroad lecturers might assist handle the present scarcity, it additionally highlights deeper points inside Jamaica’s training system.
“It’s a unhappy day for the nation after we should as soon as once more resort to international lecturers to fill roles that our personal certified and succesful educators ought to occupy,” Johnson stated earlier this yr. He cited instructor migration and low morale as signs of systemic challenges, calling for pressing reforms in salaries, working situations, and incentives to retain native expertise.
Regardless of the criticism, each Ghana and Jamaica seem dedicated to shifting ahead with the initiative as a part of broader efforts to strengthen South-South cooperation and unlock mutual financial alternatives.
The deployment timeline and variety of professionals to be despatched are but to be formally introduced.
