By | Goodluck E. Adubazi, Abuja
Nigeria and Jamaica have signed an Agreement on Technical Assistance aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperation and expanding the impact of Nigeria’s Technical Aid Corps (TAC) Programme in Jamaica.
The agreement was signed on Friday, September 25, 2026, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, United States, following a meeting between Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, and Jamaica’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Senator Kamina Johnson Smith.
The agreement formed part of several bilateral engagements undertaken by Ambassador Odumegwu-Ojukwu on the sidelines of the high-level meeting of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
In a statement issued by the Minister’s Media Assistant, Dr. Magnus Eze, the two ministers discussed measures to deepen Nigeria-Jamaica relations and promote greater people-to-people exchanges between both countries ahead of the signing ceremony.
Senator Johnson Smith expressed the appreciation of the Jamaican government for the contribution of Nigeria’s Technical Aid Corps Programme to the country’s development, particularly in the areas of health, education and local fabric artisanry.
She also expressed Jamaica’s interest in benefiting from the deployment of additional Nigerian professionals, particularly nurses and teachers, under the programme in the future.
The Jamaican Foreign Minister noted that the TAC Programme had made a significant impact on communities across Jamaica, stressing that its benefits had extended beyond the transfer of technical skills to promoting cultural and creative exchanges between the two countries.
She cited the development of “JADIRE”, a concept combining Jamaican designs with Nigeria’s traditional Adire tie-and-dye textile technique, as an example of the programme’s lasting impact.
According to her, the concept was developed by Jamaican artisans following training they received through Nigeria’s Technical Aid Corps Programme in 2018.
Both ministers acknowledged the considerable potential for expanding cooperation between Nigeria and Jamaica and agreed to explore additional areas of mutual interest through existing and other bilateral platforms.
The meeting culminated in the formal signing of the Agreement on Technical Assistance, reaffirming the commitment of Nigeria and Jamaica to strengthening their longstanding bilateral relations and advancing practical cooperation for the mutual benefit of both countries.
