Antigua Seeks More Ghanaian Nurses After First Batch of 120 Makes "Impressive Impact"

Antigua and Barbuda has requested additional Ghanaian nurses following what it describes as the positive impact made by the first batch of 120 health workers deployed from Ghana earlier this year, Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has disclosed.

Mr Ablakwa said the request was made during a bilateral meeting with Antigua and Barbuda's Foreign Affairs Minister, Everly Paul Chet Greene, on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua and Barbuda .

"The first group of 120 nurses from Ghana is making an impressive impact. Antigua has therefore requested more health workers," Ablakwa said in a post on X on Thursday, November 5, 2026 .

The development marks a further expansion of Ghana's health worker mobility arrangements with Caribbean countries, as the government seeks to deepen cooperation through the deployment of skilled professionals while addressing a backlog of unemployed health graduates at home.

A Programme Born of Necessity

The first cohort of Ghanaian nurses departed Accra in January 2026 under the Ghana Labour Exchange Programme, a government initiative launched in 2025 to facilitate legal, structured, and ethical international job placements for Ghanaian citizens . The nurses signed three-year contracts and were deployed to support healthcare delivery at the Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre, community clinics across the island, and within the mental health sector .

The programme was framed explicitly as a response to domestic unemployment in the health sector. Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh disclosed at the departure ceremony that the government had inherited a backlog of more than 80,000 health professionals who had completed their degrees but remained without employment .

"As part of efforts to create jobs, the government is exploring avenues where countries have requested that our health professionals work with them. Today, it is Antigua. We are also working on similar arrangements with Trinidad, Barbados, and Jamaica," Akandoh said at the time .

A Growing Caribbean Footprint

The Antigua request is the latest sign that Ghana's health worker deployment strategy is gaining traction across the Caribbean. In March 2026, Ghana and Saint Kitts and Nevis signed a bilateral labour agreement for the recruitment of Ghanaian medical professionals, with Prime Minister Terrance Drew revealing that Ghanaian nurses had already begun working there and had been well-received . Prime Minister Drew explicitly asked President Mahama for more nurses during his visit to Accra .

Ghana and Jamaica also signed a health pact in May 2026, with the first batch of Ghanaian medics expected to depart in June . The arrangements are structured as government-to-government agreements, which officials say ensure transparent contracts, defined working conditions, and guaranteed return pathways, protecting workers from exploitation .

The CHOGM Context

The bilateral meeting between Ablakwa and Greene took place on the margins of the 2026 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in St John's, Antigua and Barbuda, which concluded on November 4 under the theme "Accelerating Partnerships and Investment for a Prosperous Commonwealth" . The summit brought together leaders from 56 member countries and saw half a billion US dollars raised in new commitments for initiatives including renewable energy and skills development for young people .

For Ghana, the CHOGM provided a platform to advance its labour mobility agenda within the Commonwealth framework, positioning the export of skilled professionals not merely as a domestic unemployment valve but as a component of south-south cooperation.

What Comes Next

The number of additional nurses Antigua is seeking has not been disclosed. Nor has a timeline for the next deployment been announced. But the request itself carries significance: it suggests that the first cohort's performance has validated the government's bet that structured, ethical labour migration can serve both Ghana's employment needs and the healthcare gaps of partner nations.

For the thousands of Ghanaian health professionals still awaiting placement, the expanding Caribbean footprint offers a pathway that did not exist two years ago. Whether it becomes a durable model—or a temporary release valve that deepens Ghana's own nursing shortages—will depend on how carefully the programme is calibrated and whether returning nurses bring back the skills and experience the government promises.