Nigeria is set to deploy skilled professionals, including teachers, doctors, and agriculturist, to Saint Lucia and other Caribbean nations under a newly signed Technical Manpower Assistance (TMA) Agreement.
In a statement released on Wednesday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the initiative is part of broader efforts to deepen South-South cooperation and reconnect with the African diaspora in the Caribbean.
The agreement was formalised in Castries, Saint Lucia, with Hon. Yusuf Buba Yakub, Director-General of the Nigerian Technical Aid Corps (TAC), signing on behalf of Nigeria.
Janelle Modeste-Stephen, Acting Permanent Secretary at Saint Lucia’s Ministry of External Affairs, International Trade, Civil Aviation and Diaspora Affairs, signed on behalf of the Caribbean nation.
Describing the agreement as “a great achievement,” Yakub noted that it reflects President Bola Tinubu’s directive to deploy technical aid to 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.
The statement noted that, under the agreement, Nigerian professionals will serve as volunteers for two years, with Nigeria covering their allowances and logistics, while Saint Lucia and other host nations provide accommodation and 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 President Tinubu’s recently unveiled 4D foreign policy—Democracy, Development, Diaspora, and Demography—which seeks to strengthen Nigeria’s global influence through strategic partnerships.
Since the inception of the current administration in May 2023, Yakub revealed that over 300 professionals have 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 disclosed that additional deployments are ongoing, with four nurses scheduled to depart for Jamaica and six medical doctors set to leave for Grenada on 9 July.
Discussions are also underway with Belize, the Dominican Republic, and the Director-General of the OECS to create a regional framework for further technical cooperation.
The TAC initiative has also shown potential beyond development assistance.
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.”
President Tinubu has been on a state visit to Saint Lucia since Saturday as part of a two-nation tour of the Caribbean and South America.
On Monday, he addressed a special joint sitting of the Saint Lucian Senate and House of Assembly, where he announced a new scholarship scheme for OECS students to study in Nigerian universities from the next academic year.
He also proposed visa waivers for holders of diplomatic and official passports.
Later that day, Tinubu was honoured with the title of Knight Commander of the Order of Saint Lucia (K.C.S.L.), in recognition of his efforts to strengthen ties between Africa and the Caribbean.
