Wayne Lumbasi
Ghana’s government has deployed more than 100 young healthcare professionals to the Caribbean as part of a labour export initiative aimed at easing the country’s growing unemployment backlog, particularly among trained health workers.
The first batch, comprising mainly nurses and midwives, has been sent to Antigua and Barbuda under the Ghana Labour Exchange Programme. The initiative is designed to provide employment opportunities for qualified but unemployed youth while responding to labour shortages in partner countries.
Ghana has in recent years grappled with a surplus of trained health professionals who remain unemployed due to fiscal constraints and limited public sector absorption. Thousands of nurses and allied health workers complete training annually, but only a fraction are recruited into the local health system. The overseas placement programme is intended to offer an alternative pathway to employment for these graduates.
Under the arrangement, the healthcare workers will take up positions in public health facilities in the Caribbean, where health systems face staffing gaps in nursing, midwifery, and specialized care. The contracts are structured as fixed-term engagements, with beneficiaries earning salaries and benefits in line with host country labour frameworks.
The deployment also reflects a broader shift toward organised labour mobility as a tool for economic management. By facilitating structured overseas employment, the programme aims to reduce pressure on the domestic job market while allowing skilled professionals to remain economically active rather than idle.
In addition, the initiative strengthens long-standing ties between Ghana and Caribbean states, many of which share historical and cultural links. The collaboration is expected to open pathways for further exchanges in health, education, and technical services.
The current deployment is expected to be followed by additional batches as demand grows and agreements expand, positioning Ghana as a key source of trained healthcare personnel for international markets while addressing domestic employment challenges.
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