In a bold step to bridge continents and reawaken centuries-old ties, President Bola Tinubu has unveiled a new initiative that will see Nigerian doctors, teachers, agriculturists, and other skilled professionals deployed to Saint Lucia and Caribbean nations under a newly signed Technical Manpower Assistance (TMA) Agreement.
The agreement, signed in Castries, Saint Lucia, is part of a broader foreign policy strategy to re-establish Nigeria’s influence across the Global South, and more emotionally, to reconnect with the African diaspora in the Caribbean whose ancestry traces back to West Africa.
Hon. Yusuf Buba Yakub, Director-General of the Nigerian Technical Aid Corps (TAC), signed on Nigeria’s behalf, while Saint Lucia’s Ministry of External Affairs was represented by Janelle Modeste-Stephen.
“This is more than just a manpower deployment,” Yakub said. “It’s about healing historical disconnections, strengthening South-South solidarity, and sharing Nigeria’s rich human capital with those who share our heritage.”
Under the deal, professionals will volunteer for two years, with Nigeria footing the bill for allowances and logistics, while host countries provide housing and local support.
The move aligns with Tinubu’s new 4D foreign policy: Democracy, Development, Diaspora, and Demography — a blueprint to amplify Nigeria’s presence globally through people-based diplomacy and partnerships.
Since 2023, over 300 Nigerian professionals have already been dispatched to countries like Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Jamaica, reviving a programme that had long been dormant.
Yakub revealed more deployments are coming: six Nigerian doctors will arrive in Grenada by July 9, while four nurses are set to land in Jamaica. Belize, the Dominican Republic, and the OECS are next in line for negotiations.
And it’s not just work—culture is traveling too. One Nigerian volunteer introduced Adire, the Yoruba textile art, in Jamaica, which now has its local twist called “Jadire” — produced and even exported to the U.S.
President Tinubu, currently on a state visit to Saint Lucia, addressed their parliament, announcing scholarship opportunities for OECS students in Nigerian universities and proposing visa waivers for diplomatic passport holders.
For his efforts, the island nation honoured him with the Knight Commander of the Order of Saint Lucia (K.C.S.L.), solidifying his image as a unifier between Africa and its Caribbean family.
As Nigeria exports not just oil but knowledge, culture, and solidarity, this programme signals a new kind of diplomacy — one powered by people, not politics.
