On Monday, January 26, 2026, approximately 130 Ghanaian health professionals departed for Antigua to commence three-year contracts under the government’s Labour Exchange Programme. The send-off ceremony, held at Kotoka International Airport, was officiated by the Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, on behalf of the government.
Addressing the initiative, Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, described the programme as a strategic measure to tackle the backlog of more than 80,000 unemployed health professionals in Ghana, while simultaneously positioning the nation as a leading exporter of skilled medical personnel.
“The Ghana Labour Exchange Programme is an initiative of the President to create jobs for citizens. Today, it is the turn of health workers. We inherited a backlog of more than 80,000 health professionals who have completed various degrees but remain unemployed. As part of efforts to create jobs, the government is deploying our professionals abroad where their skills are in demand. Today, it is Antigua. We are also making arrangements with Trinidad, Barbados, and Jamaica, and these deployments will be done in batches,” he said.
Minister of Special Initiatives, Emmanuel Agyekum, emphasised that the selection process was both rigorous and transparent. Candidates, each with three to five years of professional experience, underwent a two-stage evaluation comprising local assessments and interviews conducted by Antiguans officials. “They have signed three-year contracts. At the end of this period, they may apply for an extension; otherwise, they are expected to return to Ghana,” he stated. The programme is part of the government’s wider strategy to curb unemployment while enhancing Ghana’s role in the global health sector.
Source: Akosua Otchere
