President John Dramani Mahama has commended Ghanaian nurses and other professionals recruited to Antigua and Barbuda, describing them as good ambassadors whose conduct has paved the way for more Ghanaians to secure opportunities across the Caribbean.
He disclosed that the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne, had spoken to him about the nurses and expressed great appreciation for Ghana sending them to help with the country's healthcare system.
"We got very good testimonies about you. Prime Minister Browne has spoken with me.
And it is a great appreciation for us sending you here to help with their healthcare system," President Mahama said.
The President added, almost all of the Caribbean countries were asking Ghana to send more professionals in health and education, with new requests also coming in for civil engineering, construction and other professions.
"You have been good ambassadors.
Every report shows that you have acquitted yourselves very well," he said.
President Mahama gave the commendation when he met members of the Ghanaian community on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in St John's, Antigua and Barbuda last Wednesday.
President Mahama urged the nurses to share their experience with colleagues back home and to emulate Florence Nightingale, who worked in the worst conditions but still had a smile and a kind word for every patient.
The Ghanaian community in St John’s, Antigua and Barbuda
He said nursing demanded care and kindness even under frustration, because patients were sick and vulnerable and needed hope as part of their healing process.
On the economy back home, he said Ghana remained resilient despite global shocks, with inflation, interest rates and the cedi holding steady.
He expressed the hope that after the American midterm election, a way would be found to resolve the issues creating global shocks.
He also advised members of the diaspora to invest wisely in ventures that yield returns, including housing, and announced plans for a housing programme to make mortgages more accessible.
In a related development, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, said the government was exploring additional labour mobility agreements to facilitate the deployment of more trained health workers and teachers to the Caribbean.
He said negotiations were ongoing and the arrangement would help the Caribbean to provide more services, while helping Ghana to address unemployment and open Ghana to the world.
Speaking at the same event, he said Ghana had signed agreements with Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, St Lucia and other countries the government had engaged with.
Mr Ablakwa revealed that recently, the Prime Minister of the Bahamas asked for the export of 300 teachers from Ghana.
This demand, according to the minister, was testament to the fact that Ghanaians abroad were conducting themselves so well.
“Every country now wants to receive Ghanaian professionals, and I think we should keep it that way," he said.
