Ghanaian nurses get new pathway to work in the U.S.

ELS: MBN360 HEALTH

Qualified Ghanaian nurses may soon have a new route to employment in the United States following a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Government of Ghana and the City of Columbus, Ohio.

The agreement, announced by Ghana’s Ministry of Health, is aimed at creating opportunities for Ghanaian health professionals—particularly nurses—to take up employment in the U.S. under arrangements intended to promote ethical recruitment.

The MoU follows months of technical discussions between Ghanaian authorities and their U.S. counterparts. It provides a framework for developing detailed arrangements for the recruitment and deployment of Ghanaian health professionals.

Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh said the initiative should go beyond simply recruiting workers. He emphasized that any deployment arrangement must protect the rights, welfare and professional interests of Ghanaian health workers.

The partnership also builds on the existing sister-city relationship between Accra and Columbus, as well as the Ghana Labour Exchange Programme.

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According to the Ministry, the initiative forms part of Ghana’s efforts to secure credible international employment opportunities for health professionals while aligning with the country’s Migration Policy, international standards and global best practices.

The Ministry said it would continue pursuing international partnerships that create decent employment opportunities for Ghanaian health professionals while ensuring that workers mark the beginning of a more structured recruitment pathway to the United States, although the detailed recruited through such programmes have their welfare and professional rights protected.

For Ghanaian nurses seeking opportunities abroad, the agreement could mark the beginning of a more structured recruitment pathway to the United States, although the detailed implementation arrangements are still to be developed.