Governor Bryan Advances Efforts to Recruit Nurses and Teachers from Ghana as Labor Delegation Meets with USVI Officials

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Governor Bryan Advances Efforts to Recruit Nurses and Teachers from Ghana

Labor Delegation Meets with USVI Officials  

Meeting builds on growing USVI-Ghana partnership and focuses on addressing  critical workforce needs in healthcare and education. 

U.S.VIRGIN ISLANDS — Governor Albert Bryan Jr.’s efforts to strengthen the Virgin  Islands’ healthcare and education workforce took another step forward Friday as a delegation  of Ghanaian labor and presidential representatives met with senior Virgin Islands officials on  St. Thomas to explore opportunities to recruit qualified nurses and teachers to the Territory. 

The meeting brought together representatives from the Virgin Islands departments of Labor,  Education and Health, along with the Virgin Islands Economic Development Authority, to  discuss potential recruitment arrangements, professional qualifications and pathways for  bringing Ghanaian healthcare and education professionals into the local workforce. 

The visit follows Governor Bryan’s November 2025 trade mission to Accra, Ghana, where he  met with Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama and other government and business  leaders to explore partnerships in trade, tourism, technology, cultural exchange and workforce  development. 

“One of the challenges we face in the Virgin Islands is making sure we have enough qualified  professionals to meet the growing needs of our community, particularly in healthcare and  education,” Governor Bryan said. “We have to be practical about how we address those  needs. That means continuing to invest in developing our own people while exploring  opportunities to attract qualified professionals who can help fill critical gaps. Our  responsibility is to make sure our schools, hospitals and healthcare facilities have the people  they need to serve the Virgin Islands community.”

Friday’s discussions focused on potential steps toward developing a recruitment framework,  including assessing workforce needs, determining professional qualifications and examining  the requirements for qualified Ghanaian professionals to work in the U.S. Virgin Islands. 

The initiative builds on the growing relationship between the Virgin Islands and Ghana. In  January 2026, Governor Bryan and the Ghana Tourism Authority signed a memorandum of  understanding during the USVI-Africa Mini Summit on St. Thomas, establishing a formal  framework for cooperation in tourism, cultural exchange, trade facilitation and investment  promotion. 

The agreement also provides for educational and professional exchanges, institutional  cooperation and capacity building. While it does not establish a nurse or teacher recruitment  program, it provides a foundation for continued engagement between the two jurisdictions. 

Governor Bryan first publicly outlined the possibility of recruiting Ghanaian nurses and  teachers following his November trade mission, identifying workforce collaboration as one of  several opportunities to build on the Territory’s longstanding historical and cultural  connections with West Africa. 

Participating in Friday’s meeting were Labor Commissioner Dr. Gary Molloy; Education  Deputy Commissioner Dr. Renee Charleswell; Health Assistant Commissioner Dr. Nicole  Syms; Chief Medical Officer Dr. Tai Hunte; Nursing Director O’Shana Garcia; and Chief of  Staff Shanna O’Reilly. 

Also attending virtually were Deputy Chief of Staff and Virgin Islands Economic  Development Authority Governing Board Chairman Kevin Rodriquez; Virgin Islands  Economic Development Authority CEO Wayne Biggs Jr.; and Health Commissioner Justa  Encarnacion. 

The visiting Ghanaian delegation included Presidential Aide Gilbert Attipoe; Director of  Labour Nhyira Sarfo Adu-Amankwah; Technical Coordinator Bediako Kwabena  Acheampong; Administrator Samuel Kodom; and Presidential Staffer Nelson Ndebah  Ndebugre. 

The discussions are part of the Bryan-Roach administration’s broader approach to addressing  workforce challenges through local training and professional development, expanded career  opportunities and partnerships that can help fill specialized staffing needs. 

Any future recruitment arrangement would require additional coordination to address  professional licensing, immigration and employment requirements, as well as the specific  staffing needs of participating Virgin Islands institutions. 

The administration will continue working with its Ghanaian counterparts to evaluate  recruitment opportunities and identify the next steps toward a potential agreement that  supports the Territory’s healthcare and education workforce needs. 

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