UK Development Minister Jenny Chapman has highlighted the strength of the UK-Ghana partnership, noting that innovation and shared expertise are opening new opportunities for both nations.

After a three-day visit to Ghana, she announced in a statement on Monday, September 15, 2025, that a UK-backed tax initiative enabled Ghana to raise an extra £100 million in 2024.

"The UK’s growth partnership with Ghana has also helped raise over £125 million to support key sectors like automotive, pharmaceuticals, and garments, creating over 5,000 jobs. The partnership has improved the production of essential and advanced medicines and enabled exports of textiles across Africa and to the UK," she said.

Jenny Chapman explained that the UK aims to tap into Ghana’s economic growth and trade prospects as part of its renewed strategy for international development.

“The UK is unlocking economic growth and trading opportunities in Ghana, as part of its modernised approach to international development,” she said.

The statement noted that; “Ghana’s leaders have said they ultimately want a fair opportunity to trade rather than our aid, and our relationship is typical of the UK’s new modernised approach to international development, one where we invest in and work with countries, as partners.”

Jenny Chapman toured Atlantic Life Sciences during her three-day visit, where UK expertise helped to produce vital and advanced medicines, including snake venom anti-serum.

She visited a garments company supported by British International Investment, describing it as “a leading example of how investment can empower women and boost exports, while maintaining ethical practices."

She further held talks with President John Dramani Mahama on broadening the UK’s growth and investment partnership.

“Our goal is to make it easier for businesses to invest, create jobs, and foster collaborations across private sector, government, and research institutions,” she said.

The statement added that, "Trade between the UK and Ghana currently totals approximately £1.5 billion annually, with major UK companies such as Tullow Oil, Unilever, Standard Chartered, and Blue Skies operating in the country."

Months ago, the Jamaican government, under a special bilateral partnership, was set to receive nurses and teachers from Ghana, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, announced.

The sector minister shared the good news on his Facebook page on Saturday, May 24, following diplomatic discussions with Jamaica’s Foreign Minister, Senator Kamina Johnson Smith, during the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) summit in Brussels.

“Ghana and Jamaica are set to expand the frontiers of our inseparable historical relations,” he wrote in his post. Mr Ablakwa added that both "Ghana and Jamaica have also agreed to hold high-level political consultations to deepen our cooperation in trade, education, agribusiness, tourism, cultural and sports exchange."

Presently, the Ministry of Health recruits Ghanaian registered nurses to Barbados, a small island country in the southeastern Caribbean Sea.

In the same month, the High Commissioner of Barbados to Ghana, Juliette Byone-Sutherland, called for opportunities for Barbadian nurses to undergo health training in Ghana, emphasizing the benefits of hands-on experience in the country’s healthcare system.

During a meeting with the Minister of Health, Honourable Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, discussions centered on strengthening healthcare collaboration between the two nations.

The minister outlined key initiatives to enhance healthcare delivery in Ghana, including incentives for rural health workers such as salary bonuses, accelerated promotions, and scholarships for further education. Plans to improve regional and teaching hospitals and the need for additional healthcare facilities in Ghana’s newly created regions were also highlighted.

Meanwhile, the government of Germany was willing to sign a labour mobility agreement with Ghana to allow thousands of youth to be employed abroad under a special bilateral agreement.

Mr Ablakwa has noted that the agreement, which is currently under discussion, will guarantee "safe, rewarding and dignified employment." "We expect actual implementation soon," Mr Ablakwa added.

In April, Minister for Employment and Labor Relations Dr. Rashid Pelpuo made mention of work ongoing between his outfit and the Foreign Ministry to craft a strategy to export skilled Ghanaian labour to countries requiring workers to curb the rising unemployment.

"Beyond the domestic set, what we can do to tackle unemployment is to look at how we can export Ghanaian labour to places that require our labour force," he said in an interview on Joy FM.

He added: "What I am working on is to get the foreign minister to sign bilateral relations with all the countries needing Ghanaian labour, and I will sign agreements with companies that want to export the labour."

A projection made by Fitch has it that the unemployment rate in Ghana in 2025 will remain at an average of 4.0% of the labour force.

The Ministry of Labour, Jobs & Employment, in partnership with the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) and GIZ Ghana, has launched the Work Abroad Programme.

The initiative seeks to address youth unemployment by facilitating access to jobs in various sectors beyond Ghana’s borders.

In 2022, the UK-Ghana Standard Partnership Pilot, the first U.K. government-backed initiative, was expected to help trade between the two countries increase to £1.4 billion in value.

British High Commissioner to Ghana, Harriet Thompson, while speaking on the sidelines of the launch of the UK-Ghana Standard Partnership Pilot, noted that the expected growth was hinged on meeting market standards.

“The launch of the UK-Ghana Standard Partnership Pilot is timely. With the roll-out of the AfCFTA and the implementation of the U.K. – Ghana Trade Partnership Agreement, quality standardisation will play a critical role in driving further trading opportunities between our two nations and beyond,” she stated.

Madam Harriet Thompson noted that, aside from supporting Ghana’s exporters to meet the standards of the UK market, the programme helped put Ghanaian businesses on the global stage.

The UK-Ghana Standard Partnership Pilot was being led by the British Standards Institution (BSI) to collaborate with and support the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA).

Ghana’s inability to meet international standards is one of the barriers that is currently stopping Ghanaian goods from coming to the UK.

Deputy Minister of Trade & Industry, Michael Okyere Baafi, is optimistic that the project will, among other benefits, strengthen the long-standing relationship between Ghana and the U.K.

Ghana earns foreign exchange every time it exports its goods to other foreign countries. It is projected that more foreign exchange earnings will be raked in by the government after it meets the necessary standards required for exporting to the UK.

U.K. is one of Ghana’s leading trading partners. The implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is expected to see Ghana trade with more countries.

According to Director-General of the Ghana Standards Authority, Professor Alex Dodoo, the UK-Ghana Standard Partnership Pilot will boost Ghana’s hopes of becoming a major business hub in Africa.

“The Standards Partnership Programme is one of the critical tools that will make our vision of Ghana Beyond Aid a reality,” he added.