The looming unemployment crisis in Ghana’s health sector is anticipated to be mitigated as Grenada expresses interest in employing some nurses and other allied healthcare professionals.

This comes after the two countries, Ghana and Grenada, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to facilitate the recruitment of Ghanaian nurses to work in Grenada in an agreement which seeks to strengthen the healthcare systems of both countries while promoting cultural exchange and knowledge sharing in the medical field.

Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, signed the agreement on behalf of Ghana, while his Grenadian counterpart, Joseph Andall, signed on behalf of Grenada, during Grenada’s Prime Minister, Dickon Mitchell’s visit to the Presidency on Friday, October 17.

President John Dramani Mahama, in a speech on Friday, October 17, during a state visit by Grenadian Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell at the Presidency in Accra, lauded the international recognition of Ghanaian health care professionals and the benefits the agreement stands to bring to both countries.

He said, “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. Ghanaian health workers have gained international recognition for their professionalism and their compassion. And we’re keen to explore arrangements that address both our national needs and Grenada’s health priorities.

He added, “I’m pleased that just yesterday, Thursday, October 16, our Foreign Minister, the Honourable Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, and Honourable Joseph Andall, Foreign Minister of Grenada, co-chaired the inaugural session of the Ghana-Grenada Political Consultations. I’m confident that this mechanism will produce practical outcomes that deepen political, economic, and cultural engagements between our two nations.”

The signing of the MoU comes just days after the Health Minister, Mintah Akandoh raised concerns about the balooning and looming unemployment crisis the sector is anticipated to face citing governments efforts to deal with the challenge.

Early this month, a group of nurses and midwives, who identify as the Coalition of Unpaid Nurses and Midwives, took to the streets to protest over unpaid salaries for the last 10 months since their posting in December 2024.

The Health Ministry responded to their request, promising to settle all arrears by next month.

Speaking on the challenges facing employment in Ghana’s health sector, Mr Akandoh, during an appearance on The Point of View on Channel One TV on Wednesday, October 15, revealed that as more health practitioners graduate each year, the unemployment rate within the sector continues to rise.

He said if measures aren’t taken immediately, Ghana could have as many as 180,000 unemployed trained health professionals by the end of 2028.

According to the Minister, the current number of unemployed health workers stands at around 74,000. However, with thousands more graduating each year, the figure is expected to more than double within the next three years.

“By the end of 2026, we will have an additional 23,000. By the end of 2027, we will have an additional 35,000. By the end of 2028, we will have about 47,000. So by the end of 2028, if we don’t employ anybody, this 74,000 is still outstanding — we will have not less than 180,000 trained and they will be at home,” he said.

In light of this, he detailed that the government is working on a recruitment strategy, including collaborations with other international bodies and countries to ship them out in a policy called “managed migration”. Thirteen (13) countries have so far responded; however, most of them prefer to work with specialists.

“So there is a strategy going forward. What we are seeking to do now is that gradually, the government will be employing some of them as we move along,” he said.“We are also looking at what we call managed migration, how we will be able to export some of them. About 13 countries have responded, but the difficulty is that most of these countries that have responded need a specialist,” he added.

He also revealed that Ghana would need not less than GHS6 billion annually to clear the existing backlog of unemployed health professionals.

The comments come amid growing pressure from unemployed nurses and midwives demanding placement, and criticism from the Minority in Parliament over how the government is handling health sector employment.

Ranking Member on the Health Committee speaking during a media engagement, stated that, “there is no need for Cabinet to approve anything. Again, there's no need for this clearance. The government should come and tell the people the truth.”

The Minority accused the government of taking health workers for granted, saying their patience had run out.

They emphasized that financial clearance for 15,000 health workers was already secured under the previous NPP administration in July 2024.

About 8,000 of those workers were paid, and the remaining 7,000 should have been paid as well , especially since they were posted before the December 2024 handover.

However, Mr Akandoh, during his interview with Channel One's Bernard Avle, stated that the previous administration led by Akufo-Addo did not make any budget for the over 13,000 nurses they recruited.

The Minister for Employment and Labour Relations, Abdul-Rashid Pelpuo, has stated that the salary delays affecting thousands of nurses, teachers, and junior doctors are due to lapses under the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration.

Speaking to the media on Wednesday, October 8, Dr. Pelpuo blamed the NPP’s poor recruitment practices and fiscal indiscipline for the current plight of nurses and doctors.

“The situation is currently unfair, but it is a culmination of events that took place in the last regime before the current regime took over. People were engaged to work without due process. For you to work and be paid, you need clearance to show that there is money in the account and that your employment has been approved. That didn’t happen in this respect,” he said.

Ghana, in recent times, has witnessed several protests from government employees, specifically, teachers, nurses, and doctors. According to him, the former government handed over a poorly planned budget that didn’t make room to pay nurses, teachers, and doctors.

As such, he called the protesting groups to call for calm as the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration will work to rectify the situation.

“We are taking it up very seriously, and I can assure the nurses, teachers, and junior doctors who are caught up in the process that we are going to respond to them before the end of the year,” he stated.