Ghana and the United States Virgin Islands have agreed to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in November 2026 to facilitate the recruitment of Ghanaian nurses and teachers to help address critical workforce shortages in the territory. The agreement follows discussions between a Ghanaian delegation, comprising officials from the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Job Creation and the Office of the President, and senior representatives of the Virgin Islands government.
The delegation met with officials at Government House on St. Thomas as Governor Albert Bryan Jr. continues efforts to strengthen the territory’s healthcare and education sectors by addressing staffing gaps. Ghana’s delegation included Gilbert Attipoe, Presidential Aide at the Office of the Chief of Staff; Bediako Kwabena Acheampong, Technical Coordinator at the Office of the President; and Samuel Kodom, Administrator and Executive Aide to the Minister for Labour, Employment and Job Creation.
Discussions centred on recruiting qualified Ghanaian professionals to fill nursing and teaching positions that have been difficult to fill with locally available personnel. The proposed MoU, expected to be signed in November, will establish a formal framework for cooperation between the two sides in recruiting the professionals.
However, the number of nurses and teachers expected to be recruited, the required qualifications and the terms and conditions of employment have yet to be disclosed. The engagement forms part of Ghana’s broader strategy to develop international labour partnerships that create overseas employment opportunities for skilled professionals while helping partner countries address workforce shortages.
Through the Ghana Labour Exchange Programme, the government has been working to facilitate organised overseas employment for Ghanaians across various professional sectors. In September 2026, Ghana signed an MoU with the City of Columbus, Ohio, in the United States to establish a framework for employment opportunities for Ghanaian nurses. The arrangement emphasised ethical recruitment practices and the protection of healthcare workers’ welfare and professional interests.
The proposed partnership with the US Virgin Islands could broaden these efforts to include the education sector, potentially opening up opportunities for Ghanaian teachers alongside nurses. Earlier, in January 2026, Ghana deployed its first batch of 121 nurses, midwives and other allied healthcare professionals to Antigua and Barbuda under the Ghana Labour Exchange Programme.
The government has continued to explore similar partnerships with other countries as part of efforts to tackle unemployment among trained professionals while meeting the growing international demand for skilled workers.
