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About 130 Ghanaian health professionals have departed the country for Antigua to take up three-year employment contracts under the government’s Labour Exchange Programme.
The workers left Ghana on Monday, January 26, 2026, following a brief departure ceremony at the Kotoka International Airport, which was overseen by the Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, on behalf of the government.
Addressing the gathering, Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, said the initiative is intended to tackle the growing number of trained but unemployed health professionals in the country. He disclosed that Ghana currently has a backlog of more than 80,000 qualified health workers who are unable to secure jobs due to financial and budgetary limitations.
According to him, the programme allows Ghana to create employment opportunities for its professionals while responding to labour shortages in partner countries. He noted that Antigua is the first destination under the health sector arrangement, with additional deployments planned for Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, and Jamaica in subsequent phases.
Minister of State in charge of Special Initiatives, Emmanuel Kwadwo Agyekum, explained that the selection process for the health workers was thorough and transparent. He said applicants were required to have between three and five years of professional experience and were subjected to local assessments as well as interviews conducted by officials from Antigua.
He added that all selected personnel have signed three-year contracts, after which they may either seek extensions or return to Ghana. The Labour Exchange Programme is expected to expand to other professional fields as part of the government’s wider strategy to reduce unemployment and strengthen Ghana’s international labour partnerships.
