Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, Ghana’s Health Minister, confirmed on Channel One TV’s The Point of View that the ministry is awaiting further financial clearance before launching the next phase of its health worker recruitment exercise. The second phase will target the remaining 8,000 professionals needed to complete a planned 16,000‑person workforce expansion.
Speaking to Bernard Avle on Monday, October 19, Mr Akandoh explained that the government intends to recruit health professionals on a regular basis, though filling the backlog of unemployed graduates will take time. He noted that many graduates who completed their training between 2021 and 2025 are still awaiting employment.
“Very soon, we are going to begin the process to recruit another 8,000 to make up for the 16,000 health professionals,” he said.
To address the challenge, the ministry is exploring opportunities to facilitate the employment of Ghanaian health professionals abroad through a proposed Ghana Labour Exchange Programme. Mr Akandoh recently travelled to Columbus, United States, to sign a memorandum of understanding with a mayor, aiming to open overseas employment channels for Ghanaian health workers.
The memorandum is expected to complement domestic recruitment efforts by helping qualified professionals secure jobs in other countries, thereby easing the pressure on the national health system.
As the ministry waits for the necessary financial clearance, stakeholders anticipate that the recruitment drive will begin shortly, potentially creating thousands of new jobs and strengthening Ghana’s healthcare workforce.
