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Durrant Pate/Contributor

Jamaica and Ghana yesterday signed several agreements aimed at strengthening diplomatic, trade, economic, health and tourism ties, as both countries pledged to deepen regional and international cooperation.

 As Jamaica battles mounting pressure in the public health system, one of the agreements signed between Kingston and Accra will allow Ghanaian healthcare workers to begin working in Jamaica. The arrangement comes as Jamaica continues to shore up its healthcare workforce following the exit of a large pool of Cuban professionals who worked under the now defunct medical cooperation programme, which lasted 50 years. 

The agreements were signed by Prime Minister, Dr. Andrew Holness and Ghanaian President, John Dramani Mahama, who is now on a four-day state visit to the island, participating in Jamaica’s Emancipation and Independence commemorations.  During a media conference after bilateral talks, President Mahama said there will be a further exchange of human capital that will boost the education sector.

 According to him, “……..we’ve also talked about exchanges where we bring Jamaican health professionals to Ghana to train and come back home to support the health system. We’re looking at exchange of teachers, physics and maths teachers, science teachers and all that. So these are all areas that we can activate.” 

Expanding economic cooperation

He said discussions with Prime Minister Holness centred on expanding economic cooperation, including bringing together Jamaican and Ghanaian business leaders to encourage investment between the two countries. “I think that that is one sure way to begin cross investments between our countries,” President Mahama declared, noting that both Jamaica and Ghana aspire to become economic hubs for their respective regions.

He also met yesterday with Jamaican business leaders, highlighting investment opportunities in Ghana, particularly through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which provides businesses access to a market of 1.4 billion people across 54 African countries. President Mahama stated that both governments intend to fast-track a bilateral air services agreement currently before their respective parliaments, paving the way for direct flights between Accra and Montego Bay.

“We’ll fast-track it so that it becomes operational so that either national carriers between Jamaica and Ghana or third-party carriers can fly direct flights from Accra to Montego Bay,” Mahama promised, acknowledging that the relationship between the two countries is rooted in a shared history shaped by Pan-Africanism and the struggle against colonial rule. He said the focus has now shifted to achieving economic prosperity through closer collaboration.

Strengthening commercial and investment links

For his part, Prime Minister Holness pointed to the discussions on air services and tourism, which have strengthened hopes for direct commercial flights between Accra and Montego Bay in the near future, saying Jamaica is seeking to expand commercial and investment links with Ghana as part of a broader strategy to strengthen relations with continental Africa.

He made reference to last month’s virtual investment and business mission, which connected companies in both countries and has already generated opportunities in logistics, tourism, hospitality, agri-processing, ICT, financial technology and the creative industries.

“Jamaica is also expanding our ports and logistics operation to be the gateway of the Caribbean and Latin America,” Dr Holness said, arguing, “by potentially connecting the ports, we could give exporters and investors on both sides of the Atlantic a more efficient route to new markets.”

He thanked Ghana for its assistance following the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa, saying humanitarian support from the Ghanaian government and the Ghana Army Corps of Engineers contributed significantly to Jamaica’s recovery efforts.

Dr Holness described the visit as another milestone in the long-standing relationship between the two countries, adding that Jamaica and Ghana remain united in advancing the ideals championed by Jamaican National Hero Marcus Garvey. 

The Prime Minister accepted an invitation to visit Accra next year when Ghana celebrates the 70th anniversary of its independence.