Partnership Between Jamaica and Nigeria Reinforces Principle of South-south Cooperation
By: , July 9, 2025
Photo: Mark Bell
Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton (third right), and Chargé d’Affaires, Nigerian High Commission in Jamaica, Bintu Bwala Ekikor (third left), share a photo opportunity with (from left) Dr. Umar Nda Jibril, Nurse Gbenga-Ige Omobolola Victoria, Nurse Alu Ashegi David and Dr. Chukwudi Ndu. The occasion was the introduction and handover of nurses from the Nigeria Technical Aid Corps Programme on Monday (July 7), at the Ministry’s Office in New Kingston. The nurses will join the local health team as part of efforts to address staffing challenges.The Full Story
The partnership between Jamaica and Nigeria to provide nurses for the public health system is reinforcing the global principle of South-South Cooperation.
South-South Cooperation refers to the collaboration and exchange of resources, technology, and knowledge among developing countries in the Global South. It is a way for these nations to foster development, address common challenges, and increase their collective bargaining power.
Speaking at a ceremony to welcome four volunteer nurses from Nigeria to the island on Monday July 7, at the Ministry in New Kingston, Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, said the country faces an unprecedented demand for qualified, compassionate health professionals.
The Minister argued that the global health workforce crisis, particularly the shortage of skilled nurses and front-line providers, “is one of the most pressing challenges of our time”.
“It is extremely symbolic for the rest of the world, and that is because our philosophical perspective has to be, that in a globally connected world, we rise and we fall together,” Dr. Tufton argued.
The Minister said as it relates to human resource development, in particular, nursing and medical training, in general, the gaps are so significant, and inequality is so devastating in its impact on those who do not have, as opposed to those who have.
“It is left up to us, despite our distance, despite difference in size and population, but recognising the commonality of purpose and the friendship, to chart a new way forward and demonstrate to the world that it is possible,” he said.
The Minister noted that the partnership is based on a tradition of friendship but noted that it is “breaking new territory in terms of the mission that we’re on and the context of the mission”.
Dr. Tufton said that the involvement of the Nigerian health professionals in the Jamaican landscape as nursing educators and practising specialists is tangible for the country, because it is going to fill a void in areas of specialisation.
The Minister argued that it is a model that can be built on, a starting point for stronger South-South collaboration in training, deploying and supporting health workers across borders.
The initiative is made possible through the Nigerian Technical Aid Corps Programme, which the Minister pointed out aligns with the World Health Organization’s Global Strategy on Human Resources for Health.
Dr. Tufton said the strategy calls on all countries to ensure equitable access to health workers and to develop innovative, sustainable models for sharing workforce capacities.