As rich and middle-income countries race to fill healthcare staffing gaps, Ghana is preparing to send 400 nurses to Jamaica despite having an estimate of over 100,000 trained health professionals sitting unemployed at home.
The agreement, signed during high-level talks between Ghana and Jamaica in Accra, highlights a growing global paradox: African countries continue to train thousands of healthcare workers they cannot absorb, while overseas health systems increasingly rely on African talent to plug labour shortages.
For Jamaica, the deal helps address critical staffing gaps in hospitals and healthcare facilities. For Ghana, it creates employment opportunities for workers who have struggled to secure public-sector jobs amid fiscal pressures and hiring constraints.
The first group of nurses is expected to begin work in Jamaica in the coming weeks following the signing of a health workforce mobility agreement between the two countries.
A growing jobs crisis at home
