The Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the Ghana Labour Exchange Programme, has deployed 121 Ghanaian nurses to Antigua as part of government efforts to expand employment opportunities for health professionals.

The Labour Exchange Programme is a key job-creation intervention initiated by President John Dramani Mahama to address graduate unemployment, particularly among trained health workers. Currently, Ghana has an estimated backlog of over 80,000 qualified health professionals who have completed their training but are yet to be absorbed into the public sector.

As part of measures to tackle this challenge, government is exploring bilateral arrangements with countries that have expressed interest in engaging Ghanaian health professionals. Antigua is the latest beneficiary of this initiative, with similar engagements ongoing with Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad. The programme will be implemented in phases.

Speaking at the send-off ceremony, officials urged the nurses to uphold Ghana’s values, professionalism and work ethic, noting that they are ambassadors of the country. Government assured the nurses that their progress abroad will be closely monitored.

Addressing concerns about domestic health worker shortages, authorities clarified that Ghana’s challenge is not the availability of trained professionals but budgetary constraints that limit immediate absorption into the public sector. While government continues to recruit health workers locally, external placements provide an additional pathway to employment.

The ministry expressed confidence that more health professionals will benefit from the programme in due course, reaffirming government’s commitment to creating sustainable job opportunities both at home and abroad.