Ghana and Barbados have made an arrangement for Ghana to send 375 nurses to the Caribbean nation to work in the country’s government medical facilities to help address the shortage of skilled health workers.
This was agreed when the Prime Minister of that country, Mia Amor Motley made a request in a bilateral discussions in Barnadian capital of Bridgetown on Friday to the Ghanaian President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo who was on a day’s working visit to Barbados.
This was part of President Akufo-Addo’s five Caribbean nation tour with the aim of promoting the “Year of Return” 2019, a major landmark event to be used as a bridge to build stronger ties between Ghana, those on the Continent, and the African Diaspora.
The working state visits of the five Caribbean nations took the President to Guyana, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica, where he addressed a gathering at Jamaican city of Miami.
Addressing a joint News conference after bilateral talks, the Barbadian Prime Minister stated that her country was searching for just 400 nurses, “so it is not a small number, and we really do believe that this is a wonderful opportunity of co-operation between our two countries.”
In addition, she noted that there was also an initial promise to secure the nurses, and provide joint education programmes going forward, all in an attempt to secure Barbados’ healthcare sector.
On his part, President Akufo-Addo indicated that “we have a surplus of nurses in Ghana, and placing them all in our public health system is one of my headaches. There have been a lot (of nurses) produced, which, for several years, we have not been able to do anything with.”
“So, I am going back. I will be back in Accra on Monday, and, the week after, the Prime Minister will hear from me on this matter of nurses.”
With President Akufo-Addo being the first leader of Ghana to visit Barbados, the two leaders agreed to reactivate a 2005 cultural, technical and scientific agreement signed between the two countries, an agreement which was dormant for 14 years.
The discussions also touched on tourism and transportation, with Ghana and Barbados agreeing to work on an air services agreement, which will establish direct air links between the two countries, so as to boost trade and people-to-people contact.
On the issue of renewable energy, President Akufo-Addo expressed Ghana’s desire to collaborate with Barbados, a country which is giant in that field, and reiterated Ghana’s commitment to increase the renewable energy component of her energy generation mix.
As a demonstration of the close ties between Ghana and Barbados, the President expressed his commitment to the establishment of an Honorary Consulate in Barbados, with Barbados set to establish a High Commission in Accra by the end of 2019.
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