Nigeria To Deploy Teachers, Doctors, Other Professionals To Caribbean Countries

Nigeria has signed a new agreemen with Saint Luciat to send teachers, doctors, agricultural experts, and other professionals to Caribbean countries.

Te plan is part of a wider effort to boost South-South cooperation and build stronger ties with the African diaspora in the region.

The deal, called the “Technical Manpower Assistance (TMA) Agreement”, was signed in Castries, Saint Lucia. Nigeria was represented by Hon. Yusuf Buba Yakub, who heads the Nigerian Technical Aid Corps (TAC).

This was contained in a statement on Wednesday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.

On Saint Lucia’s side, the agreement was signed by Janelle Modeste-Stephen, the Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs.

Yakub described the deal as a major step forward, pointing out that it follows President Bola Tinubu’s directive to extend technical support to countries in the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).

“This is an outstanding achievement, just days after Mr President’s directive to deploy technical aid to Saint Lucia and the wider OECS,” Yakub was quoted as saying.

According to the agreement, Nigerian professionals will work in these Caribbean countries for a two-year term.

Nigeria will handle their pay and travel logistics, while the host countries will provide housing and other local support.

Yakub emphasised the diplomatic and cultural significance of the move, stating, “These students who will benefit from the scholarship will have a chance to reconnect with their roots and heritage.”

The deployment aligns with Tinubu’s recently introduced foreign policy framework known as the 4D foreign policy—Democracy, Development, Diaspora, and Demography—which aims to boost Nigeria’s global presence while encouraging cultural exchange and professional development.

Yakub said the programme has picked up momentum since Tinubu took office in May 2023, adding that over 300 Nigerian experts have already been deployed to countries across Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific.

“Since my appointment in August, we’ve deployed volunteers to Liberia, Sierra Leone, Jamaica, and other African nations. This programme was nearly dormant, but Mr President revived it with his strong foreign policy vision,” he noted.

Yakub said more deployments are on the way with four nurses set to leave for Jamaica, and six doctors will head to Grenada on July 9.

Nigeria is also in talks with Belize, the Dominican Republic, and OECS leaders to expand the programme and create a broader technical partnership across the region.

Yakub said, “Jamaica has formally requested 400 experts, who are willing to pay. Instead of importing labour from Asia, they want Nigerian professionals. We are exporting Nigeria’s human capital with dignity, creating opportunities for our people, and reinforcing Nigeria’s leadership across the Global South.

“One of our volunteers in Jamaica popularised Adire (Yoruba fabric design), which has become so popular that Jamaicans now produce it locally, calling it ‘Jadire’. They even export it to the United States.”

Yakub emphasized that TAC is gradually becoming a platform that not only supports development but also creates jobs and revenue for Nigeria.

He said, “Instead of importing labour from Asia, they want Nigerian professionals.

“We are exporting Nigeria’s human capital with dignity, creating opportunities for our people, and reinforcing Nigeria’s leadership across the Global South.”

KanyiDaily recalls that President Bola Tinubu was recently honoured with the title of Knight Commander of the Order of Saint Lucia (K.C.S.L.).