Nigeria has signed a Technical Manpower Assistance agreement with the government of Saint Lucia, paving the way for the deployment of skilled Nigerian professionals to the Caribbean nation as part of efforts to deepen South-South cooperation and reconnect with the African diaspora.

The agreement was signed on Wednesday in Castries, the capital of Saint Lucia, by the Director-General of the Nigerian Technical Aid Corps, Yusuf Yakub, and Acting Permanent Secretary in the Saint Lucian Ministry of External Affairs, International Trade, Civil Aviation and Diaspora Affairs, Janelle Modeste-Stephen.

The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga disclosed this development in a statement on Wednesday.

Describing the agreement as ?a great achievement,? Yakub said the development aligns with President Bola Tinubu?s directive to expand Nigeria?s technical diplomacy across the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States.

?This is an outstanding achievement, just days after Mr. President?s directive to deploy technical aid to Saint Lucia and the wider OECS,? Yakub said.

Under the agreement, Nigerian expert volunteers, including teachers, medical professionals, and agriculturists will serve for two years in Saint Lucia.

While the Nigerian government will cater for their allowances and logistics, the host country will provide accommodation and other local support.

Yakub said the initiative also includes cultural and educational exchange, offering students in the Caribbean a chance to reconnect with their African roots.

?These students who will benefit from the scholarship will have a chance to reconnect with their roots and heritage,? he added, referring to Tinubu?s broader cultural diplomacy announcement during his address to Saint Lucia?s parliament on Monday.

It was said that since the beginning of the Tinubu administration in May 2023, over 300 Nigerian professionals have been deployed across Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific, according to Yakub.

?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 stated.

He disclosed that more deployments are underway, with four nurses set to leave for Jamaica and six doctors scheduled to fly to Grenada on July 9. Engagements are also ongoing with Belize, the Dominican Republic, and the OECS for a regional framework on technical cooperation.

Highlighting the programme?s impact, Yakub said it goes beyond development and diplomacy.

?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,? he said.

Yakub added that TAC is fast becoming a revenue-generating platform, with Jamaica formally requesting 400 Nigerian experts, whom they are willing to pay for.

?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,? Yakub said.

He affirmed that the initiative aligns with President Tinubu?s 4D foreign policy,?Democracy, Development, Diaspora, and Demography?, strengthening Nigeria?s global influence while promoting professional development, cultural exchange, and solidarity with historically connected nations. (PUNCH)

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