Ghana, Jamaica to expand defence, health and education cooperation – Mahama
President John Dramani Mahama has announced plans to deepen cooperation between Ghana and Jamaica in defence, healthcare and education, describing the agreements reached during his state visit as practical steps toward strengthening ties between the two sister nations.
Speaking at a joint press conference with Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness after bilateral talks in Kingston, President Mahama said the two countries had identified several priority areas for collaboration, including military exchanges, the deployment of health professionals and teacher exchange programmes.
The President revealed that Ghana and Jamaica discussed a Defence Cooperation Agreement that would facilitate exchanges between their armed forces while improving their ability to support each other during emergencies and natural disasters.
According to him, the agreement would build on the solidarity already demonstrated when Ghana deployed military personnel to assist Jamaica following a major hurricane.
“It is not even the size of the troops that came. It is the symbolism and the solidarity between brother nations,” President Mahama said.
He recalled that the Ghanaian soldiers quickly integrated into Jamaican communities during their deployment and even requested extensions to their stay, describing their service as a source of pride for Ghana.
In the health sector, President Mahama disclosed that Ghana and Jamaica had signed agreements that would soon see Ghanaian health professionals deployed to support Jamaica’s healthcare system.
He said the partnership would also provide opportunities for Jamaican health professionals to travel to Ghana to train local personnel before returning home, creating a mutually beneficial exchange of expertise.
“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,” he said.
Education also featured prominently in the discussions, with the President announcing plans for exchanges involving teachers, particularly in science, mathematics and physics, to strengthen learning and skills development in both countries.
“We’re looking at exchange of teachers, physics and maths teachers, science teachers and all that. These are all areas that we can activate,” he added.
President Mahama also praised Jamaica’s resilience in recovering from the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa, commending the government and people of Jamaica for rebuilding despite the estimated US$12 billion in damage caused by the disaster.
“I want to commend Prime Minister Holness and all Jamaicans for that. The Jamaican people have shown the kind of resilience that they can bounce back from adversity,” he said.
The President described his four-day state visit as productive and forward-looking, expressing confidence that the agreements reached would deepen cooperation and further strengthen the longstanding relationship between Ghana and Jamaica.
