Antigua seeks to expand Ghana health worker recruitment after first deployment
Ghana could be preparing for another deployment of health professionals to the Caribbean after Antigua and Barbuda requested additional personnel following the arrival of the first group earlier this year.
The request provides a new indication of the employment opportunities emerging from Ghana’s efforts to establish international recruitment partnerships for its trained health workforce.
The initial deployment took place in January 2026, when Ghana sent 121 nurses, midwives and allied health professionals to Antigua under a three-year employment arrangement. The workers were assigned to public healthcare facilities, including the Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre and community clinics.
Antigua’s latest request was disclosed by Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa after a bilateral meeting with his counterpart, Chet Greene, during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
According to Ablakwa, Antiguan authorities have been impressed by the contribution of the Ghanaian professionals and want the recruitment arrangement expanded.
“The first group of 120 nurses from Ghana is making an impressive impact. Antigua has therefore requested more health workers,” he said.
The partnership addresses staffing needs in the Caribbean country while providing overseas employment opportunities for Ghanaian professionals who have struggled to secure jobs locally.
Ghana’s government previously disclosed that more than 80,000 trained health professionals were awaiting employment, making international labour arrangements one avenue for addressing the backlog.
The Antigua arrangement is part of a wider government effort to connect Ghanaian professionals with employers abroad. Ghana has also explored similar recruitment opportunities with other Caribbean countries, including Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago.
However, Antigua’s request does not yet establish how many additional workers will be recruited or when another deployment will take place. Those details, alongside the terms of any expanded agreement, are yet to be announced.
About The Author
