Nigeria has signed a Technical Manpower Assistance (TMA) agreement with Saint Lucia to deploy skilled Nigerian professionals—including teachers, doctors, agriculturists, and others—to Saint Lucia and other Caribbean nations. The agreement, signed in Castries by Hon. Yusuf Buba Yakub, Director-General of Nigeria’s Technical Aid Corps (TAC), and Janelle Modeste-Stephen, Acting Permanent Secretary of Saint Lucia’s Ministry of External Affairs, marks a significant step in deepening South-South cooperation and reconnecting with the African diaspora.
Under the two-year volunteer program, Nigeria will cover allowances and logistics for the professionals, while host countries will provide accommodation and local support. This initiative aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s 4D foreign policy—Democracy, Development, Diaspora, and Demography—aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s global influence through strategic partnerships.
Since May 2023, over 300 Nigerian professionals have been deployed across Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific under the revitalized TAC program. Recent deployments include volunteers to Liberia, Sierra Leone, Jamaica, and other countries. Four nurses are scheduled to depart for Jamaica, and six medical doctors will leave for Grenada on July 9.
The program also fosters cultural exchange; for example, a Nigerian volunteer introduced the traditional Yoruba fabric art, Adire, to Jamaica, where it has gained popularity and is now locally produced and exported under the name “Jadire.”
The agreement with Saint Lucia is the first formal TMA pact from President Tinubu’s Caribbean visit, which also included proposals for scholarships for OECS students to study in Nigerian universities and visa waivers for diplomatic passport holders.
This initiative is seen as a strategic move to export Nigeria’s human capital with dignity, create opportunities for Nigerian professionals abroad, and reinforce Nigeria’s leadership in the Global South. Talks are ongoing with other Caribbean countries, including Belize and the Dominican Republic, to expand the program regionally.
