US Virgin Islands and Ghana Discuss Recruiting Nurses and Teachers

Senior United States Virgin Islands officials met a delegation of Ghanaian labour and presidential representatives on St. Thomas on Friday to explore recruiting qualified nurses and teachers to the territory. The talks, led by Governor Albert Bryan Jr.'s administration, remain exploratory: no recruitment programme has been created and no dates, numbers or application routes have been announced.

Key facts

• Friday's meeting on St. Thomas discussed possible recruitment arrangements, professional qualifications and pathways for Ghanaian healthcare and education professionals.
• Any future arrangement would still require coordination on professional licensing, immigration and employment requirements.
• The US Virgin Islands departments of Labor, Education and Health took part, along with the Virgin Islands Economic Development Authority.
• A memorandum of understanding signed in January 2026 with the Ghana Tourism Authority does not establish a nurse or teacher recruitment programme.
• No start date, quota, fee or application process has been announced.

What is being discussed?

The delegations discussed potential steps toward a recruitment framework. According to the Government of the United States Virgin Islands, those steps include assessing workforce needs in the territory, determining which professional qualifications would be accepted, and examining the requirements Ghanaian professionals would need to meet in order to work in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Virgin Islands participants included 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. Joining by video were Deputy Chief of Staff Kevin Rodriquez, Virgin Islands Economic Development Authority CEO Wayne Biggs Jr. and Health Commissioner Justa Encarnacion.

The Ghanaian delegation comprised Presidential Aide Gilbert Attipoe, Technical Coordinator Bediako Kwabena Acheampong and Administrator Samuel Kodom.

Why is this happening?

Governor Bryan said the territory struggles to secure enough qualified professionals, particularly in healthcare and education, and that the territory must both develop its own people and attract qualified professionals to fill critical gaps.

The meeting follows Bryan's November 2025 trade mission to Accra, where he met Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama and other government and business leaders to explore partnerships in trade, tourism, technology, cultural exchange and workforce development. In January 2026, Bryan and the Ghana Tourism Authority signed a memorandum of understanding at the USVI-Africa Mini Summit on St. Thomas covering tourism, cultural exchange, trade facilitation and investment promotion, as well as educational and professional exchanges, institutional cooperation and capacity building.

What this means for travellers

For Ghanaian nurses and teachers considering work in the U.S. Virgin Islands, there is currently no programme to apply to and no defined route, timeline or eligibility criteria. The Government of the United States Virgin Islands states that any future recruitment arrangement would still need to address professional licensing, immigration and employment requirements, as well as the staffing needs of individual institutions.

Anyone interested in such a move should watch for further announcements, since the requirements that would apply have not yet been determined.

The administration said it will continue working with its Ghanaian counterparts to evaluate recruitment opportunities and identify the next steps toward a potential agreement. No date has been set for the next round of discussions.