Ghana, Grenada sign MoU to recruit Ghanaian nurses, sparks hope and concern in powerful new health pact
Ghana and Grenada have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to facilitate the recruitment of Ghanaian nurses and allied health professionals to support Grenada’s health sector, in a move aimed at strengthening cooperation between the two nations.
The agreement was signed in Accra on Friday, October 17, by Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, and Grenada’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Joseph Andall, during a working visit by Grenadian Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell to Ghana.
According to both governments, the partnership will not only help fill critical healthcare gaps in Grenada but also create new employment opportunities for Ghanaian professionals while fostering cross-cultural and technical exchange in healthcare delivery.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, President John Dramani Mahama said the MoU reflects a shared commitment to deepening cooperation in health, education, and economic development.
“In the health sector, Grenada’s interest in recruiting Ghanaian nurses and allied health professionals presents a valuable opportunity for structured collaboration between our two countries,” President Mahama said. “Ghanaian health workers have earned international recognition for their professionalism and compassion, and we are eager to explore arrangements that serve both our national needs and Grenada’s health priorities.”
He added that the partnership builds on the Ghana–Grenada Political Consultations, which were officially inaugurated a day earlier on October 16 by the two foreign ministers. President Mahama expressed optimism that the new consultative framework would “produce practical outcomes that deepen political, economic, and cultural engagements between our nations.”
The MoU marks a strategic expansion of Ghana’s global health partnerships, as the country continues to leverage its strong reputation for training high-quality medical professionals.
Ghana’s health institutions — including the University of Ghana School of Nursing, KNUST School of Medicine and Dentistry, and numerous nursing and midwifery colleges — graduate over 20,000 nurses annually, many of whom face limited local employment opportunities.
This surplus has positioned Ghana as a reliable source of skilled healthcare labour for other countries. Similar bilateral recruitment frameworks already exist with the United Kingdom, Barbados, and Jamaica, where hundreds of Ghanaian nurses are currently employed under government-to-government arrangements.
For Grenada, a small Caribbean island nation with a population of just over 125,000, the partnership offers a sustainable solution to its persistent shortage of qualified nurses and medical personnel — a challenge that worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa noted that the Ghana–Grenada health collaboration demonstrates how South-South partnerships can drive mutual growth between developing nations.
“This agreement reflects Ghana’s new approach to international cooperation — one built on partnership, skills exchange, and shared prosperity rather than dependency,” he said after signing the document.
Grenada’s Foreign Minister Joseph Andall also commended Ghana’s leadership in the health sector, saying his country hopes to learn from Ghana’s experience in training, workforce management, and hospital administration.
He added that Grenadian health authorities would work closely with Ghana’s Ministry of Health and the Nursing and Midwifery Council to ensure smooth accreditation, deployment, and welfare arrangements for recruited nurses.
Ghana has increasingly become a source of skilled labour in the global health workforce, reflecting both the country’s investment in training and its unemployment challenges.
According to the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), about 4,000 nurses have left Ghana in the past three years to work abroad, driven by higher pay and improved working conditions.
While some analysts have raised concerns about a potential “brain drain,” the Ministry of Health maintains that structured bilateral agreements like the one with Grenada help regulate migration, ensuring that Ghana continues to benefit from remittances, experience sharing, and training collaborations.
Dr. Anthony Nsiah-Asare, a former Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, has previously emphasized that such partnerships can be “a win-win arrangement when properly managed,” allowing Ghana to export surplus health workers without undermining its domestic healthcare capacity.
Beyond healthcare, the Ghana–Grenada partnership underscores a renewed wave of Pan-African and Caribbean cooperation, linking two regions with shared historical and cultural ties.
Over the past decade, Ghana has intensified diplomatic relations with several Caribbean states, including Barbados, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago, focusing on trade, tourism, and education.
President Mahama described the Ghana–Grenada MoU as a continuation of that vision. “It’s not just about health — it’s about reconnecting peoples of African descent and building bridges of mutual growth across the Atlantic,” he said.
The two governments are expected to establish a joint technical working group to develop an implementation roadmap within the coming months. The roadmap will outline recruitment quotas, training requirements, and welfare protocols for Ghanaian nurses selected to work in Grenada.
If successfully implemented, the partnership could serve as a model for intra-Commonwealth cooperation, enabling other small island states to tap into Africa’s growing pool of medical expertise.
